Tucson Teachers Stand Strong Against Ethnic Studies Ban

Amidst the grief, confusion and finger-pointing that surround the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others on Jan. 8, another story in Tucson is also making national headlines.

Because of a new state law, the Tucson Unified School District has fewer than two months to get rid of its Mexican American Studies program. If they don't, they risk losing millions in state funding.

The "ethnic studies ban" - HB 2281 - passed last year and went into effect on the first of the year. It seeks to eliminate any courses taught in public schools that are directed to a specific ethnic group and "promote resentment" or "promote the overthrow of the U.S. government." Tucson's Mexican American studies program is the only program targeted.

In reality, the law is a thinly-veiled attempt to eliminate the telling of Mexican American history and heritage to the very students that could most benefit from it - that is, Hispanic students going to school at Tucson's embattled school district.

In the last two weeks, we've seen how powerful hatred can be, and how angry words, fueled by ignorance, lead to angry actions.

It is sheer ignorance to discount the facts: The "La Raza" program at Tucson has raised graduation rates, enrollment numbers and lowered the need for discipline in the school district. Even more importantly, it's given students who might have fallen through the cracks a sense that their history matters, and a feeling of belonging and empowerment.

In 2010, eleven teachers in Tucson's Mexican American studies program filed a lawsuit against the new law, arguing that it is unconstitutional. On Friday, Tucson's school district announced that it won't join their struggle and instead will focus on trying to prove the district's compliance with this wrongheaded law.

Not challenging the constitutionality of the law means that TUSD could be named as a defendant in the lawsuit instead. It also puts the district squarely on the wrong side of history, Tucson blog Three Sonorans argues. Now, these heroic teachers have even more on their plates. But they continue to stand strong for their students and this valuable program.

Read more at www.saveethnicstudies.org. You can also join our campaign and tell Arizona leaders to strengthen, not squash, this vital education program by signing the petition below.

Photo credit: RickC via Flickr