The Tucson Unified School District voted four-to-one to end its Mexican American Studies Program late Tuesday night. The school district risked losing $15 million if it continued teaching ethnic studies as they were being taught. From Tucson, Michel Marizco reports.
It’s the final blow against the program. Using a new state law, Arizona school officials outlawed Mexican American studies at TUSD. They said the courses were divisive and advocated overthrowing the government. Then the teachers appealed to a federal judge to stop Arizona from ending the courses.
Just hours before the school board met Tuesday, the judge threw out the teachers’ case.
Here’s school board member Miguel Cuevas on why he voted to scrap the program.
“It is in the district’s responsibility to revamp the Mexican American studies program to reach a much broader segment of our student population,” Cuevas said.
The board voted to create a comprehensive studies program that covers more than just Mexican American studies in the future.