Arizona law targets ethnic studies programs

A bill that aims to ban ethnic studies in Arizona schools was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Jan Brewer, cheering critics who called such classes divisive and alarming others who said it’s yet another law targeting Latinos in the state.

The move comes less than 20 days after Brewer signed a controversial immigration bill which has caused widespread protests against the state. Brewer’s press office did not return requests for comment Tuesday evening.

HB 2281 would ban schools from teaching classes that are designed for students of a particular ethnic group, promote resentment or advocate ethnic solidarity over treating pupils as individuals. The bill also bans classes that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government.

The bill was written to target the Chicano, or Mexican American, studies program in the Tucson school system, said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne.

School districts that don’t comply with the new law could have up to 10 percent of their state funds withheld each month. Districts have the right to appeal the mandate, which goes into effect Dec. 31.

Tucson Unified School District officials say the classes benefit students and promote critical thinking. “We don’t teach all those ugly things they think we’re teaching,” said Judy Burns, the president of the Tucson Unified School District governing board.

She said she has no intentions of ending the Mexican American studies program, which offers courses from elementary through high school in topics such as literature, history and social justice, with an emphasis on Latino authors and history. About 3 percent of the district’s 55,000 students are enrolled in the program.

Horne has been trying to end the program for years, saying the program divides students by race and promotes resentment. He singled out one history book used in some classes, “Occupied America: A History of Chicanos,” by Rodolfo Acuna, a professor at California State University, Northridge.