Quick Take
Teachers in Pajaro Valley Unified School District are protesting proposed policy changes they say could suppress classroom discussions on controversial topics by requiring prior approval from administrators. The district says the revisions aim to provide clarity and balance, but educators argue the vague language could lead to self-censorship and limit critical conversations on issues like climate change, immigration and labor rights.
Pajaro Valley Unified School District teachers are calling on the governing board to reject proposed policy changes they say give the superintendent too much power over how controversial issues are discussed in district classrooms.
The policy updates say educators who plan to discuss controversial topics should ask the superintendent or designee “to determine the appropriateness of the subject matter.”
The proposed updates add guidelines for how teachers should discuss such matters, like selecting age-appropriate topics depending on the age of students. District staff are also proposing that when teachers invite guest speakers, they invite another person with an opposing view to present their perspective. The changes also include a provision that the district will notify parents or guardians before sexual health and HIV prevention topics are discussed, and allow parents to request their children be excused from the instruction – which is already required by California’s education law.
Watsonville High School English ethnic studies teacher Bobby Pelz told Lookout that the policy gives too much power to administrators to decide what is discussed in classrooms. If it’s approved, he said it will lead educators to refrain from teaching on a broad range of topics that they fear could be considered controversial. The teachers union published an op-ed Sunday in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section expressing similar views.
“It’s wide open for one person to come in and say, ‘I don’t like that’ — completely regardless of whether the kids are getting a lot out of it,” Pelz said. “They could just make a decision, because there’s something about it that they don’t like.”
The school board hasn’t updated the controversial issues guidelines in more than 10 years, and the staff’s recommendations are part of a broad effort by the district to update its policies, PVUSD spokesperson Alejandro Chavez told Lookout. He responded to questions via email.
Trustees are scheduled to vote on the proposal without discussion because it’s on the consent agenda for Wednesday’s meeting. They would have to vote to put it on the deferred consent agenda to talk about it.
Lookout asked Chavez for an example of when a teacher might consult administrators to discuss a controversial topic in class as the policy doesn’t define what may be considered a controversial issue. He said if a teacher plans a discussion about “a current political issue, social movement or other potentially sensitive topic, they should first consult their principal to ensure materials and approaches align with curriculum standards and district policy. When a discussion is brought forth on body image, it may not align with a math class or a history class.”
Chavez told Lookout that the policy is a framework and not intended to be punitive. He added that if necessary, “enforcement would follow our standard district procedures if concerns arise, such as through administrative review or professional guidance from principals.”
On Tuesday morning, Chavez issued a press release on behalf of the district emphasizing these points and added that several school districts have similar controversial issues policies. Santa Cruz City Schools, Gilroy Unified School District, Salinas Union High School District and Hollister School District all have the same policy, almost word-for-word, as PVUSD’s proposed new changes.
Pelz and Brandon Diniz, president of the teachers union, said that if the policy is approved, they fear teachers might need permission to discuss climate change, immigration, policing or labor rights.
Pelz said he won’t change how he teaches if the board approves the policy.
“I think I would just keep teaching the way that I’m teaching,” he said. “And then, they would have to come to me and tell me that I can’t do it.”
In response to teacher concerns about censorship, Chavez wrote: “This policy is not about censorship, it’s about clarity. We trust our educators and value their professionalism.”
He added that the district’s goal is to provide clear guidance when approaching sensitive issues in the classroom and that it wants to “ensure that discussions are educational, balanced and appropriate for the developmental level of our students.”
Diniz told Lookout he doesn’t think the proposed updates help with clarity and feels the proposal is “more intended to have a chilling effect.”
“The term ‘controversial’ is so opaque — it’s going to get to the point where teachers are going to say, ‘Better safe than sorry,’” he said.
Why now?
Pelz and Diniz told Lookout that they think the district is proposing the changes after teachers, including Pelz, invited local activist Omar Dieguez to speak to their classrooms. As part of his activism against the use of agricultural pesticides near schools, Dieguez completed a monthlong hunger strike last month.
In the first two weeks of his strike, Dieguez gave talks at elementary schools in the district, but when Pelz and a Pajaro Valley High teacher requested he speak at the high schools, the district put his presentations “on hold.”
Dieguez said the Pajaro Valley High principal told him to invite berry giant Driscoll’s to present the other viewpoint on pesticide use.
The controversial issues policy adds that when a speaker is invited to present on a controversial topic and the talk is one-sided, “the teacher shall be responsible for ensuring that students also receive information on opposing viewpoints.”
Pelz said he asks district staff for updates weekly about allowing Dieguez to speak and staff say they’re still working on organizing a presentation.
Chavez reiterated that the board is updating the policy as part of its broader effort to review policies, “but this particular policy came to [our] attention because it was highlighted by media coverage and widely discussed on social media.”
When Lookout asked if he was referring to reporting on Dieguez’s presentation, he said, “presentations at schools that were brought forth by the media really pushed for this policy to have a review by the board.”
FOR THE RECORD: This story has been updated to add that several regional school districts have similar controversial issues policies.
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