No ruling yet on Ethnic Studies

by David Safier

Ed Supe John Huppenthal has pushed back the date he plans to rule on whether MAS violates the law. It was expected before the end of May. Now it sounds like it will come next Friday, at the earliest.

There are a bunch of possible explanations for the delay. Since none are spelled out in the Star article, let me suggest a possible strategic reason for Hupp to hold off on the ruling. School's Out For Summer.

On the last day of school, students promise to stay in touch, but as each day passes, their contact diminishes. That's doubly true for seniors whose thoughts move on to the next phase of their lives.

Teachers are still in the zone for a week or two after school ends. After that, they tend to drift toward down time and/or vacations and/or ways to earn money over the summer.

The longer school is out, the harder it may be to create a strong, sustained response to Huppenthal's ruling.

If this is Hupp's strategy, it may be effective. Then again, the Ethnic Studies/SES crowd is a tenacious bunch. Keeping the fight going may be the subject of many students' "What I did over summer vacation" essays. Time will tell.