FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (SEPTEMBER 23, 2019)
Dillon Hosier
Israeli-American Civic Action Network
202-888-4240
Dillon@IsraelUSA.org
ICAN APPLAUDS CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD UNANIMOUS PASSAGE OF RESOLUTION
CONDEMNING ANTI-SEMITIC ETHNIC STUDIES CURRICULUM
West Hollywood, California: The West Hollywood City Council has unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by Mayor Pro Tempore Lindsey Horvath and Mayor John D’Amico which condemned anti-Semitic aspects of California proposed ethnic studies curriculum. The Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN) worked with City officials on the development of the resolution.
The resolution says in part, “the City of West Hollywood hereby calls upon the State Board of Education and Instructional Quality Commission to immediately rescind the draft curriculum in its current form, ensure that the revision process moving forward is free from the discriminatory perspectives included in the current draft, and ensure that the final version of the curriculum accurately reflects the statutory guidelines of an educational standard with ‘core values of equity, inclusiveness, and universally high expectations.’”
“West Hollywood’s voice is of particular importance on this matter since the City is known for being inclusive, tolerant, respectful of differences, and embracing diversity,” said Dillon Hosier, Chief Advocacy Officer at ICAN. “ In my view, the State Board of Education can learn from the example set by each of you here as leaders in this City.”
The move by the City of West Hollywood is timely as just last week the State’s Instructional Quality Commission decided to delay action on the current draft curriculum pending the approval of legislation that would provide the State Board of Education with an additional year to develop the model curriculum.
“California is home to over 6 million public school students, and each year around a million students graduate from our public high schools,” said Vered Elkouby Nisim, ICAN’s California Chairwoman. “Many of these students will come here to live, work, and enjoy West Hollywood, making education an issue that affects us all.”
The City of West Hollywood is the second city in California to pass a resolution condemning the anti-Semitic aspects of the model ethnic studies curriculum. The City of Beverly Hills passed a similar resolution last month on August 20, 2019.
About the Israeli-American Civic Action Network: The Israeli-American Civic Action Network is an advocacy organization dedicated to empowering Israeli-American immigrants, and allied communities, at every level of government, local, state, and nationally, to create change for a better America, a more secure Israel, and a stronger U.S. – Israel alliance through advocacy education, civic action, and campaigns and elections.
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