As a result of a demand by progressive Congressman Raul Grijalva, the Department of Justice is calling on the Tucson Unified School District. Office of Civil Rights employees have been at the district in recent days, investigating the district due to its decision to end Grijalva’s creation, the Mexican Americans Studies program.
The program was ended by the district’s Governing Board when it was found to violate state law. State law prohibits teaching children to resent others based on their race and prohibits segregated classrooms.
Grijalva had called on the White House to hold an Immigration and Mexican American Studies in January. The DOJ investigation stems from Grijalva’s demand and allegations made at the summit.
The classes were statistically unsuccessful, but the district’s administration has kept the latest and most accurate data produced by district officials from the public and the Special Master chosen by federal Judge Bury in the district’s desegregation case.
Grijalva called on the DOJ to investigate the district after holding a forum on the MAS classes at Sunnyside High School. Also, a complaint was filed with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights for Open Meeting Law violations alleging that Spanish Speakers and Hispanics were prevented access from TUSD Governing Board meetings.
Grijalva sat on the district’s Governing Board for years before running for congress. His daughter Adelita Grijalva now sits on the Board and her and her father have exerted great pressure on the district’s Superintendent Pedicone to preserve the classes.
The controversial and illegal classes were developed by Grijalva supporters who designed a politically based program which promoted racial division and “social justice.” Grijalva’s supporters have used the district has source for voters and followers.
Grijalva demanded intervention by the Obama administration’s Justice Department when it looked as if the community was not in support of bring the classes back.
Mexican American Studies (MAS) supporters are hoping that the DOJ or the Special Master will force the district to offer the classes again.
Hispanics from around Arizona contacted the Special Master, Willis Hawley, to request that he prevent the classes from returning. Hawley responded that he will make his decision “on the bases (sic) of evidence about the effectiveness of these and similar ethnic-focused learning experiences, not because of the opinions of particular groups.”
The district then provided Hawley statistics produced by MAS staff as opposed to the district’s administrative staff. Central office staff objections were ignored according to various sources.
Grijalva just received the endorsement of President Obama.
According to district sources, a team from the OCR will be investigating the Open Meeting Law complaint.