RtR Community,

We need your help!

As you may remember, the Lake Oswego School District cut ethnic studies before the ‘24-‘25 school year after it was poorly promoted and didn’t get enough signups. Since then, RtR community members have written into and testified to the school board, urging them to reinstate the class and make it mandatory. YEC students have created a proposal for a long term plan to bring the course back and surveyed their classmates about the gaps in current social studies curriculum. RtR direct engagement team members have also met with administrators, school board members and state elected officials, with the help of our friends from Unite Oregon, to explain the importance of ethnic studies and why it’s crucial to ensuring all LO students are better prepared for life after high school. 

The good news: Oregon law is on our side. House Bill 2845 (2017) requires all school districts to implement ethnic studies standards as part of statewide social studies. The law is clear: students deserve to learn the histories, contributions, and perspectives of ethnic and social minorities. Research backs this up: ethnic studies courses increase student engagement, cultural competency, and critical thinking.

That said, it’s still very much an uphill battle and we need more public push to make this a real priority for the school board. The direct engagement team, which meets every second Saturday at LO UCC from 1-3pm, will be gathering Oct 11, to discuss the next steps of the campaign and help attendees submit written testimony in to the board. 

We hope to see you all there! 

In solidarity, 

Troy