Judge says Ethnic-Studies Program Violates Arizona Law

The Tucson school district’s Mexican American studies program violates state law, an Arizona administrative law judge ruled. The judge affirmed a prior decision by the state’s schools chief that the Tucson Unified School District’s program violates a law that aims to outlaw divisive ethnic studies classes.

In June, John Huppenthal, the state superintendent of public instruction, had deemed the program to be in violation of the law. That law, among other things, bans classes primarily designed for a particular ethnic group or that “promote resentment toward a race or class of people.” The judge's ruling could mean the demise of the program and those similar to it.