The Capistrano Unified School District’s (CUSD) board of trustee approved new “cultural proficiency lessons” for all students during a May 19 board meeting. The lessons, which will be taught by counselors and not teachers, seek to “build cultural proficiency, engage students in higher-order thinking, and promote equity, inclusion, and diversity,” according to the meeting agenda. The topic drew controversy, with a group of parents showing up to the meeting to give public comment. Most of the speakers were overwhelmingly opposed to the curriculum, echoing a sentiment that the lessons were based on far-left ideas and taught students to see what is different about one another, rather than what unites them. Gregory Merwin, the district’s chief academic officer, attempted to assure parents that the lessons were not the same as critical race theory, a highly-controversial nationwide academic theory that seeks to say racism is embedded in legal systems and policies. “Critical race theory is not included or integrated into these lessons,” Merwin said during the …