Arizona Bans Ethnic Studies in Public Schools
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Dana Chivvis

Dana Chivvis Contributor
AOL News
(May 12) -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill Tuesday banning ethnic studies in public schools, less than a month after she signed an immigration bill requiring police officers to ask for proof of residency papers from anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant.

The law, which takes effect Dec. 31, bans classes that are designed for a particular ethnic group, promote overthrow of the U.S. government, foster resentment toward a particular race or class, or "advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals."
Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer
Ross D. Franklin, AP
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill banning ethnic studies in schools.

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said the bill was written to target a Mexican-American studies program in the Tucson school system, according to the Los Angeles Times. The 14-year-old program offers courses in standard topics like literature and history, but with an emphasis on Latino authors or history. It also has specialized courses with African-American and Native American emphasis.

Approximately 2 percent of the Tucson Unified School District's 55,000 students are enrolled in the program.

Sean Arce, who runs the Tucson program, said that students do better in school when presented with material that includes people who look like them.

"It's a highly engaging program that we have, and it's unfortunate that the state Legislature would go so far as to censor these classes," he said, according to The Associated Press.

But Horne, who is running for attorney general, says the program teaches Latino students that they are oppressed by white people.

"It's just like the old South, and it's long past time that we prohibited it," Horne told the AP.

The bill leaves it up to the state Board of Education or superintendent to decide whether a school violates the law. A school that does not comply could lose 10 percent of its state aid each month, and school districts can appeal the finding.
Filed under: Nation, Top Stories

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/arizona-bans-ethnic-studies-in-public-schools/19474292

Arizona is quickly becoming the haven for white racists, huh?

We should be teaching all ethnic backgrounds in school, not just the normal white one.

If they did that, when wood dey have time fer readin', writin' and 'rithmaticin'?

There are well over 300 different cultures present in the US.

IMO, culture teaching should be done by the parents and/or their ethnic community.

Should be offered in Community College but, kept out of grades 1-12.

Any curriculum brought fourth by La Raza which is where this came from should be banned. La Raza or THE RACE is a racist organization and if we are going to allow one hate group we need to allow Nation of Islam, WAR, Black Panthers and Aryan Nation into our schools as well. If we had true ethnic studies kids would learn about ALL cultures not just one and in Arizona it is just one.

My child's Lutheran school does it. The class is about world cultures. My kid has learned about different nationalities, different religions (Islam, Buddhism, etc.) Last year they learned about past cultures - ancient days. This year is about current cultures. I think it's great. It helps my kid to be more intelligent.

Ya' fergot to include the Mexican Mafia culture. Or is already being taught?

That's cool for a hoity-toity private school! I bet yer kid does great!

We're talkin' third-world public school. Those kids need to learn things to survive in the work-a-day world.

That isn't true. Even the article states that others besides Mexican are being taught.

Arizona is becoming a haven for white racists. We need to make sure that all peoples from all over the world know that before they go there and visit.

The work-a-day world includes people of other cultures and nationalities.

The children are our future. They need a good education.

They also need money, but the Dems have no problem spending on the warfare/welfare state and sending the children the bill for it. Don't expect a good education from the government-it never has happened, and will never happen. (the ever-escalating mediocrity of government education is why people now have to go to college to learn the basic skills that employers expect)

There is nothing wrong about a class on world cultures. One class that includes all cultures is totally different than one class based entirely on one single culture..

Isn't it funny how, when a law is passed to enforce federal law...it's " racial profiling "...yet when a law is passed to STOP racial profiling ( which, no matter how they want to spin it, those classes are ) they scream to the heavens that it's wrong and racist??

Liberal hypocrisy knows no bounds.

isnt AZ the state the held out on Martin Luther King day as a holiday?.....just saying

how is offering an OPTION for children to have additional education considered profiling? In education, for instance, if a school included males and females but teaches predominately the history and experiences of males, how would it be profiling to offer EQUAL representation for the females to learn about their history and experiences. ITs profiling if it happens to ONE group, seems ethnic studies just adds an experience to other groups which ONE group already had.

You GO, Arizona ... ! Somebody has to show the rest of the country how it's done ... !

lol, ok,, so those parents of ethnic students who are paying property taxes in that school district, should just shut up and continue to accept their children learning ONLY about ONE section of society or history or culture?,,,,,,,,,so classist of Arizona,,,

Yes, and for good reason. See the article "Myths of Martin Luther King, Jr." here- http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/epstein9.html

I personally consider Malcom X a better spokesman for ethnic equality than MLK.

Are you saying these classes are racial profiling? How so? Do you have an issue with the type of class Winx described?

These kind of classes are a good idea.