After a long, tumultuous fight, a popular Mexican-American studies program is poised for a comeback in Tucson, Ariz., as part of a plan to settle a nearly 4-decade-old desegregation lawsuit against the school district.
Last month, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund announced that the ethnic-studies program, which was canceled earlier this year, could be expanded in a joint plan crafted by the Tucson school district, the U.S. Department of Justice, and plaintiffs in the case.
The plan—which is intended to bring “unitary status” to the 60,000-student Tucson district—involves numerous components related to student assignment, transportation, workforce diversity, academic programs, family and community engagement, dropout prevention, and discipline practices.
Arizona’s schools chief, John Huppenthal, earlier this year threatened to withhold $15 million in funds because he maintained that the courses violate a new state law.
