Reports of TUSD book ban completely false and
misleading
Tucson Unified School
District (January 17, 2012)
Tucson, AZ - Tucson Unified School District has not banned
any books as has been widely and incorrectly reported.
Seven
books that were used as supporting materials for curriculum in Mexcian American
Studies classes have been moved to the district storage facility because the
classes have been suspended as per the ruling by Arizona Superintendent for
Public Instruction John Huppenthal. Superintendent Huppenthal upheld an Office
of Administration Hearings' ruling that the classes were in violation of state
law ARS 15-112.
The books are:
- Critical Race Theory by Richard Delgado
- 500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures edited by Elizabeth Martinez
- Message to AZTLAN by Rodolfo Corky Gonzales
- Chicano! The History of the Mexican Civil Rights Movement by Arturo Rosales
- Occupied America: A History of Chicanos by Rodolfo Acuna
- Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
- Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years by Bill Bigelow
NONE
of the above books have been banned by TUSD. Each book has been boxed and
stored as part of the process of suspending the classes. The books listed above
were cited in the ruling that found the classes out of compliance with state
law.
Every
one of the books listed above is still available to students through several school
libraries. Many of the schools where Mexican American Studies classes were
taught have the books available in their libraries. Also, all students
throughout the district may reserve the books through the library system.
Other
books have also been falsely reported as being banned by TUSD. It has been
incorrectly reported that William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" is not
allowed for instruction. Teachers may continue to use materials in their
classrooms as appropriate for the course curriculum. "The Tempest"
and other books approved for curriculum are still viable options for
instructors.
The
suspended Mexican American Studies classes were converted last week to standard
grade-level courses with a general curriculum featuring multiple perspectives,
as per the directive by the state superintendent. Students remained in classes
with their teachers, who are now teaching general curriculum.
As
the district has taken action to comply with the order from the state, the goal
of the district has continued to be to prevent disruption to student learning.
Books used as instructional materials in the former Mexican American Studies
classes were collected only from classrooms in schools where the courses were
taught. Again, all the books are still available to students through the TUSD
library system.
In
one instance, at Tucson High Magnet School, materials were collected from a
filing cabinet while students were in class though teaching did not stop during
the process.
Tucson
High Magnet School Principal Dr. Abel Morado acknowledges that the gathering of
materials could have been accomplished outside of class time in all instances.
"We
had a directive to be in compliance with the law and acted quickly to meet that
need," says Morado. "Part of that directive is communicating with
teachers, students and parents, and collecting materials. We regret that in one
instance materials were collected during class time."
For further information:
Cara Rene
Director of Communications
Tucson Unified School
District
No comments:
Post a Comment