Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Trustees Jim Kelly, Robert Shield, Gary C. Woods, and Scott Eckert have a chance to bring well-crafted lesson plans to local schools.
According to California law, public schools must offer a one-semester Ethnic Studies course beginning in Fall 2025. The GUHSD Board of Trustees is currently reviewing two curriculum options, and local parents have been asked to offer their feedback on these lesson plans.
The full story:
East County parents support the GUHSD curriculum. The GUHSD lesson plans were developed over two years by a team of more than a dozen local educators and curriculum specialists. The GUHSD Ethnic Studies curriculum includes classroom activities crafted specifically for students in our East County community.
It’s important to know that the GUHSD Trustees asked the district’s own staff to create this curriculum. This staff group included at least one teacher from every GUHSD campus, which helped ensure that the lessons would meet the needs of that student body. As they worked, the group also held Community Steering Committee meetings to gather feedback from district parents.
The Trustees received regular progress reports about the curriculum development, and Trustees Gary C. Woods and Robert Shield both served on the district’s Curriculum Master Plan Steering Committee to guide the Ethnic Studies course development during this period.
The Trustees have had months to review the proposed lesson plans. The GUHSD curriculum, linked here, was shared via Google Drive by GUHSD Communications Director Collin McGlashen in January 2025.
The GUHSD curriculum has detailed, high quality lesson plans that were developed at the GUHSD Board’s direction and paid for by East County taxpayers.
So what’s the problem?
An “alternative” curriculum was recently proposed by Gary C. Woods, an elected Trustee with no public high school teaching experience. These lessons were assembled by an Oakland-based think tank called the Independent Institute. Many of the lessons are based on YouTube videos and direct students to consult AI, rather than academic resources. Most importantly, none of the lessons were developed specifically for East County students.
This curriculum is not a good option for East County students.
The Trustees need to decide which curriculum to choose before the Fall 2025 school year begins. That means our community needs to speak up and advocate for the adoption of the GUHSD curriculum in our classrooms.
Call for speakers:
Now is the time to comment on the school district’s Ethnic Studies curriculum. The parents and members of the public can speak on this during public comments at upcoming GUHSD Governing Board meetings.
The next meeting is Thursday, July 17, from 6 to 8 PM, and the Grossmont High School Event Center Theatre.
Key talking points:
- Local parents and educators support the GUHSD Ethnic Studies curriculum.
- The GUHSD curriculum reflects our student population and East County values.
- The curriculum was developed at the Board’s direction and paid for by our community.
- As a bonus, GUHSD could even earn much-needed funds by selling this quality curriculum to other school districts.
Speaking at a Board meeting:
- Attendees who want to speak at the meeting must enter the venue and submit a speaker card directly before the meeting.
- There are a limited number of speaker slots. Board meeting typically begin at 6 PM. In those cases, we recommend getting to Grossmont High School between 4:00 PM and 4:15 PM to submit your speaker card. You may submit your speaker card and then come back for the 6:00 PM meeting start time.
- Public comments are limited to three minutes per person, so make your points clear but brief.
Helpful resources:
Times of San Diego: Ethnic studies curriculum takes a turn at Grossmont Union High School District
Recall the Trustees 