arizona ethnic studies Archives

Superintendent of Arizona Schools Says Tucson Unified School District Violates Arizona’s Ethnic Studies Law

Arizona Republic: “State schools Superintendent Tom Horne says the Tucson Unified School District is violating a new state law intended to quash its ethnic-studies program, a breach he believes can only be remedied by doing away with Mexican-American studies. . . .He said his findings show the program he has long sought to eliminate runs afoul of the law’s requirement that classes cannot be ‘designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group’.”

Arizona Law Banning Ethnic-studies in Effect

Arizona Republic: “A new [Arizona] law aimed at ending ethnic-studies classes went into effect today. . . . House Bill 2281 bans classes in kindergarten through 12th grade that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, promote resentment toward a race or class of people, are designed primarily for pupils of one ethnic group, or advocate ethnic solidarity.”

Defending Arizona’s Anti-Ethnic Studies Law

Forbes: “It is insulting to assume minorities must be coddled with ethnic cheerleading as a substitute for knowledge.

[Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom] Horne is quoted as saying that he opposes courses that ‘promote the overthrow of the U.S. government,’ teach that ‘Republicans hate Latinos,’ and generally incite ethnic division through books with titles like Occupied America: A History of Chicanos.”

Arizona Govenor Signs Anti-ethnic Studies Law

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed House Bill 2281, the so called anti-ethnic studies school law. The new law will become effective on December 31, 2010. The new law begins with this statement:

“The legislature finds and declares that public school pupils should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent or hate other races or classes of people.”

The new law was advocated by Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne.

New Arizona Revised Statutes Section 15-112.A reads:

A school district or charter school in this state shall not include in its program of instruction any courses or classes that include any of the following:

1.  Promote the overthrow of the United States government.
2.  Promote resentment toward a race or class of people.
3.  Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group.
4.  Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.

See “Does TUSD’s ethnic studies program violate Arizona’s new law?” See also a story in the New York Times called “Citing Individualism, Arizona Tries to Rein in Ethnic Studies in School.” Superintendent Horne said,

“They are teaching a radical ideology in Raza, including that Arizona and other states were stolen from Mexico and should be given back,”