On Thu 01/23, the PAUSD School Board held a Special Meeting regarding mandatory Ethnic Studies for all incoming 9th Graders in Fall 2025. The stated goal of the class, according to Superintendent Austin, was to “foster insightful, well-guided discussions” about societal power differentials. When I arrived at the meeting, there was a crowd gathered outside, Palo Alto police were in attendance, ropes had been placed to separate the board members from the public, and security manned the doors. I quickly came to feel this angry crowd had decided how I would vote - and presumed I sought to cut and not *pause* Ethnic Studies.

During the meeting, I publicly expressed feeling unsafe at least twice due to the level of animus and tension that I felt in the room. During the break, I asked for the meeting to be adjourned. At times, I felt that both my concerns about my personal safety and my questions about the course were diminished, marginalized, minimized, and negated – I heard my comments being met with jeers and mocking laughter by unidentified persons. For me, this came to an unfortunate head when a school district employee appeared to suggest that it was invalid for me to use the word “unsafe” and that I should instead use the word “uncomfortable”.