In place of the now infamous and eliminated Tucson Unified
School Board District (TUSD) Mexican American Studies program (MAS), Arizona
lawmakers wish to start a Biblically inspired curriculum through the means of Arizona
House Bill 2563 which was introduced into the Arizona assembly this month by Rep.
Terri Proud. The goal of the new curriculum is to inculcate Latino students
with Judeo-Christian values and normative Greco-Roman western culture in order
to combat the subversive, communist, atheistic, un-American views of Howard
Zinn, Paulo Freire and many other Latino authors as well as Native American
teachings and feminist writings such as
Feminism is for Everybody (2000), by B. Hooks which were present in the former
MAS program. The new curriculum will be
in place as of June 30, 2013 if the bill is passed. Here is the pertinent
section (15-717.01) of the bill:
35 A. THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION SHALL PRESCRIBE
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A
36 COURSE DESIGNATED AS "THE BIBLE AND ITS
INFLUENCE ON WESTERN CULTURE" FOR
37 PUPILS IN GRADES NINE THROUGH TWELVE THAT ENABLES
PUPILS TO EARN CREDIT
38 TOWARD A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. THE COURSE
REQUIREMENTS PRESCRIBED BY THE
39 STATE BOARD SHALL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
40 1. THE HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF THE OLD
TESTAMENT ERA.
41 2. THE HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF THE NEW
TESTAMENT ERA.
42 3. A COMBINATION OF THE SUBJECTS DESCRIBED IN
PARAGRAPHS 1 AND 2 OF
43 THIS SUBSECTION.
44 B. A COURSE OFFERED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE DESIGNED TO:
12 -
1 1. FAMILIARIZE PUPILS WITH THE CONTENTS, CHARACTERS,
POETRY AND
2 NARRATIVES THAT ARE PREREQUISITES TO
UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY AND CULTURE,
3 INCLUDING LITERATURE, ART, MUSIC, MORES, ORATORY
AND PUBLIC POLICY.
4 2. FAMILIARIZE PUPILS WITH THE FOLLOWING:
5 (a) THE CONTENTS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW
TESTAMENT.
6 (b) THE HISTORY RECORDED BY THE OLD TESTAMENT AND
THE NEW TESTAMENT.
7 (c) THE LITERARY STYLE AND STRUCTURE OF THE OLD
TESTAMENT AND THE NEW
8 TESTAMENT.
9 (d) THE INFLUENCE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW
TESTAMENT ON LAWS,
10 HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, LITERATURE, ART, MUSIC,
CUSTOMS, MORALS, VALUES AND
11 CULTURE.
12 C. A SCHOOL OR CHARTER SCHOOL MAY OFFER THE
COURSE PRESCRIBED IN THIS
13 SECTION AS AN ELECTIVE COURSE. A SCHOOL MAY OFFER
THIS COURSE AS AN ONLINE
14 COURSE.
15 D. A PUPIL SHALL NOT BE REQUIRED TO USE A
SPECIFIC TRANSLATION AS THE
16 SOLE TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT OR THE NEW
TESTAMENT AND MAY USE AS THE BASIC
17 TEXTBOOK A DIFFERENT TRANSLATION OF THE OLD
TESTAMENT OR THE NEW TESTAMENT
18 FROM THAT CHOSEN BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT GOVERNING
BOARD, THE CHARTER SCHOOL
19 GOVERNING BODY OR THE PUPIL'S TEACHER.
20 E. A COURSE OFFERED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL
FOLLOW APPLICABLE LAW AND
21 ALL FEDERAL AND STATE GUIDELINES IN MAINTAINING RELIGIOUS
NEUTRALITY AND
21 ALL FEDERAL AND STATE GUIDELINES IN MAINTAINING
RELIGIOUS NEUTRALITY AND
22 ACCOMMODATING THE DIVERSE RELIGIOUS VIEWS,
TRADITIONS AND PERSPECTIVES OF
23 PUPILS. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION IS INTENDED TO
VIOLATE ANY PROVISION OF THE
24 UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION, THE CONSTITUTION OF
ARIZONA OR STATE LAW OR ANY
25 RULES, GUIDELINES OR REGULATIONS ADOPTED BY THE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF
26 EDUCATION, THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION OR THE
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF
27 EDUCATION.
28 F. BEFORE ADOPTING RULES IDENTIFYING THE STATE
REQUIREMENTS FOR A
29 COURSE OFFERED UNDER THIS SECTION, THE STATE
BOARD OF EDUCATION SHALL SUBMIT
30 THE PROPOSED STATE REQUIREMENTS TO THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL. THE ATTORNEY
31 GENERAL SHALL REVIEW THE PROPOSED STATE
REQUIREMENTS TO ENSURE THAT THE
32 COURSE COMPLIES WITH THE FIRST AMENDMENT OF THE
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.
33 THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MAY NOT ADOPT RULES
IDENTIFYING THE STATE
34 REQUIREMENTS FOR A COURSE OFFERED UNDER THIS
SECTION WITHOUT THE ATTORNEY
35 GENERAL'S APPROVAL PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION.
36 G. A TEACHER OF A COURSE OFFERED BY A SCHOOL
UNDER THIS SECTION WHO
37 PROVIDES INSTRUCTION TO PUPILS IN LANGUAGE ARTS,
SOCIAL STUDIES OR HISTORY,
38 IF PRACTICAL, SHALL HAVE COMPLETED POSTSECONDARY
COURSES IN RELIGION OR
39 BIBLICAL STUDIES. A TEACHER SELECTED TO TEACH A
COURSE OFFERED BY A SCHOOL
40 UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE
STAFF DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AS
41 SPECIFIED BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
PERSONNEL SHALL NOT BE ASSIGNED
42 TO TEACH THE COURSE BASED ON ANY OF THE
FOLLOWING:
43 1. A RELIGIOUS TEST.
44 2. A PROFESSION OF FAITH OR LACK OF FAITH.
1 3. PRIOR OR CURRENT
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION OR A LACK OF RELIGIOUS
2 AFFILIATION
ALA cc by nc - sa 2.0 lic. |
The shelves in Tucson school libraries are getting empty
with the removal of over 81 banned books and according to some sources the
teachers were forced to box these books in front of the students in order to
reinforce the message. Notice that "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare which deals with themes of oppression and race is on the list below of Arizona banned books so the state has out done the Roman Catholic church which never put any of Shakespeare's works on its Index Librorum Prohibitorum or list of prohibited books that dates back to the sixteenth century and represents the apex of closed minds. Here is the most current list although more books have
been added since this was compiled last year:
List of 81 Banned Books by Course and in alphabetical order *
·
*From http://www.scribd.com/doc/58025928/TUSD-ethnic-studies-audit
American Government/Social
Justice Education Project - Texts and Reading Lists
- Critical Race Theory: An
Introduction (2001),
by R. Delgado and J. Stefancic
- Declarations of
Independence: Cross-Examining American Ideology (1990), by H. Zinn
- Dictionary of Latino Civil
Rights History (2006),
by F. A. Rosales
- Pedagogy of the Oppressed (2000), by P. Freire
- Rethinking Columbus: The
Next 500 Years
(1998), by B. Bigelow and B. Peterson
- The Latino Condition: A
Critical Reader
(1998), by R. Delgado and J. Stefancic
- United States Government: Democracy in Action (2007), by R. C. Remy
American History/Mexican American Perspectives - Texts and Reading Lists
- 500 Anos Del Pueblo
Chicano/500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures (1990), by E. S. Martinez
- A People's History of the
United States: 1492 to Present (2003), by H. Zinn
- Codex Tamuanchan: On
Becoming Human
(1998), by R. Rodriguez
- De Colores Means All of Us:
Latina Views Multi-Colored Century (1998), by E. S. Martinez
- Dictionary of Latino Civil
Rights History (2006),
by F. A. Rosales
- Drink Cultura: Chicanismo (1992), by J. A. Burciaga
- Message to Aztlan: Selected
Writings (1997),
by C. Jiminez
- Occupied America: A History
of Chicanos
(2004), by R. Acuna
- Rethinking Columbus: The
Next 500 Years
(1998), by B. Bigelow and B. Peterson
- The American Vision (2008), by J. Appleby et
el.
- The Anaya Reader (1995), by R. Anaya
- The X in La Raza II (1996), by R. Rodriguez
English/Latino Literature
- A Different Mirror: A
History of Multicultural America (1993), by R. Takaki
- At the Afro-Asian Conference
in Algeria
(1965), by E. Guevara
- Color Lines: "Does
Anti-War Have to Be Anti-Racist Too?" (2003), by E. Martinez
- Culture Clash: Life, Death
and Revolutionary Comedy (1998), by R. Montoya et al.
- Drown (1997), by J. Diaz
- Let Their Spirits Dance (2003) by S. Pope Duarte
- Loverboys (2008), by A. Castillo
- Mexican WhiteBoy (2008), by M. de la Pena
- Ten Little Indians (2004), by S. Alexie
- The Devil's
- The Fire Next Time (1990), by J. Baldwin
- The Tempest (1994), by W. Shakespeare
- Two Badges: The Lives of
Mona Ruiz (1997),
by M. Ruiz
- Women Hollering Creek (1992), by S. Cisneros
- Woodcuts of Women (2000), by D. Gilb
English/Latino Literature(Advanced)
- ...y no se lo trago la
tierra/And the Earth Did Not Devour Him (1995), by T. Rivera
- A Place to Stand (2002), by J. S. Baca
- Address to the Commonwealth
Club of California (1985), by C. E. Chavez
- Always Running - La Vida
Loca: Gang Days in L.A. (2005), by L. Rodriguez
- Black Mesa Poems (1989), by J. S. Baca
- Borderlands La Frontera: The
New Mestiza
(1999), by G. Anzaldua
- By the Lake of Sleeping
Children
(1996), by L. A. Urrea
- Cantos Al Sexto Sol: An
Anthology of Aztlanahuac Writing (2003), by C. Garcia-Camarilo, et al.
- Civil Disobedience (1993), by H. D. Thoreau
- Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems
on Growing up Latino in the United States (1995), by L. Carlson &
O. Hijuielos
- Crisis in American
Institutions
(2006), by S. H. Skolnick & E. Currie
- C-Train and Thirteen
Mexicans
(2002), by J. S. Baca
- Curandera (1993), by Carmen Tafolla
- Drink Cultura: Chicanismo (1992), by J. A Burciaga
- Drown (1997), by J. Diaz
- Feminism is for Everybody (2000), by b hooks
- Healing Earthquakes: Poems (2001), by J. S. Baca
- House on Mango Street (1991), by S. Cisneros
- Immigrants in Our Own Land
and Selected Early Poems (1990), by J. S. Baca
- Infinite Divisions: An
Anthology of Chicana Literature (1993), by T. D. Rebolledo & E. S. Rivero
- Justice: A Question of Race (1997), by R. Rodriguez
- La Llorona: Our Lady of
Deformities
(2000), by R. Garcia
- Like Water for Chocolate (1995), by L. Esquievel
- Live from Death Row (1996), by J. Abu-Jamal
- Los Tucsonenses: The Mexican
Community in Tucson, 1854-1941 (1986), by T. Sheridan
- Martin & Mediations on
the South Valley (1987),
by J. S. Baca
- Message to Aztlan: Selected
Writings
(2001), by Rudolfo "Corky" Gonzales
- Mexican American Literature (1990), by C. M. Tatum
- New Chicana/Chicano Writing (1993), by C. M. Tatum
- Nobody's Son: Notes from an
American Life
(2002), by L. A. Urrea
- Ocean Power: Poems from the
Desert
(1995), by O. Zepeda
- Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual
Poems on Being Young and Latino in the United States (2005), by L. Carlson &
O. Hijuielos
- Savage Inequalities:
Children in America's Schools (1991), by J. Kozol
- Saving Our Schools: The Case
for Public Education, Saying No to "No Child Left Behind" (2004) by Goodman, et al.
- So Far From God (1993), by A. Castillo
- Suffer Smoke (2001), by E. Diaz
Bjorkquist
- The Circuit: Stories from
the Life of a Migrant Child (1999), by F. Jimenez
- The Lone Ranger and Tonto
Fist Fight in Heaven (1994), by S. Alexie
- The Magic of Blood (1994), by D. Gilb
- The Manufactured Crisis:
Myths, Fraud, and the Attack on America's Public Schools (19950, by D. C. Berliner
and B. J. Biddle
- The X in La Raza II (1996), by R. Rodriguez
- When Living was a Labor Camp
(2000),
by D. Garcia
- Women Hollering Creek (1992), by S. Cisneros
- Zapata's Discipline: Essays (1998), by M. Espada
- Zigzagger (2003), by M. Munoz
- Zoot Suit and Other Plays (1992), by L. Valdez
- Zorro (2005), by I. Allende
New Additions (to be added)
“I suspect that TUSD is using many books which were never
legally approved, in many different courses, and we have to track those books
down and either remove them or go through proper curriculum approvals. Staff
has already begun that search process.” – TUSD board president Mark Stegeman.
(From the Tucson Citizen news, Jan. 19, 2012)
What are they worried about? Kids have to be forced to read these days if they are to read at all. Banning books just makes them interesting and desired reading even by confirmed non-readers. Is the measure a double bluff to actually get kids to start reading, by banning?
ReplyDeleteAs for the religious stuff, I'm glad we don't live in Arizona. We used to get an hour of Religious Education a week when I was at school. It was quite enough.