San Mateo Union High School District Board meeting

Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 7 PM 
650 N. Delaware Street, San Mateo

Thank you for agreeing to talk at the SMUHSD Board meeting. We expect the public comment period to start at approximately 7:05 PM. Members of the public may also attend the meeting via Zoom. (Zoom link can be found here.)

We will have the opportunity to speak during agenda item J: PUBLIC COMMENTS. 

If you are joining in person and wish to make a comment during the public comments section at the beginning of the agenda, please fill out a “Request to Address the Board” form and submit it to the secretary. This form should be given to the Secretary before the agenda item begins. 

If you are joining virtually use the “raised hand” feature on Zoom to be recognized. When invited to do so by the Board President, you will be admitted to speak as a panelist during your public comment period. 

Tips for Public Comment 

  • Comments will be strictly limited to 3 minutes (and can be reduced further, at the discretion of the board chair), so please practice and time your comments beforehand. Modify to make what you say comfortable for you. 

  • You will be speaking for Agenda Item J. We expect it to come up around 7:05 PM, but it is difficult to predict. 

  • Please use the statements provided (mix and match) to create a custom 3-minute speech. We want to ensure that the issues specific to the training and curriculum development done by Samia Shoman are addressed and that we include specific requests of the Board. You will likely not be able to fit in more than 2-3 points. 

Below is a structure for your comments. 

1. Introduce yourself. Please feel free to personalize, but keep this brief! 

Hello, my name is [name] and I am a [parent / voter / teacher] in [city]. (If you are part of an ethnic community, please include this in your introduction.) 

2. Use these talking points to create your 3-min speech. For talking points that specifically refer to Shoman and/or the SMUHSD curriculum, see your email, which provides examples, or contact us at calethstudies@gmail.com. If you like, let us know that you’ll be speaking (email calethstudies@gmail.com), and we’ll keep you posted on any changes and/or provide talking scripts.

3. End with one or both of the following. (Paraphrase as you see fit.) 

a) Please update the Ethnic Studies curriculum to be empowering and bridge-building.

b) Please remove Samia Shoman, and her partners, such as Acosta (Educational Partnership), from any role in Ethnic Studies teacher training or curriculum development. 

4. Thank you.