The ethnic studies battle heats up

by David Safier

Monday promises to be a big day for TUSD's Ethnic Studies program. If I understand what I've read in a variety of news reports, Tom Horne is going to make his case for the program being out of compliance with HB2281. My guess, and I could be wrong, is that he's got all kinds of quotes together from texts and other similar information to startle and amaze Arizona. Fear of brown people runs high in the state, and anything that doesn't look like either docility or aimless violence from Hispanics frightens people. If this plays out as I think it will, Horne will get lots of ink.

Also Monday, Save Ethnic Studies will be holding a press conference: 11:45am, 326 S. Convent Ave., courtyard. The contention is, Horne, by filing an Answer to the lawsuit against HB2281, "preempt[ed] incoming Superintendent Huppenthal from making his own determination and improperly seeks to keep Mr. Horne in the litigation as a party defendant while ignoring his new responsibilities as Attorney General."

Meanwhile, Horne has said he's going to keep up his crusade against Ethnic Studies as A.G.

Horne said he's ready to enforce state law in his new position as attorney general and that failure to drop the courses could cost the district millions.

“I’ve never yet seen a school not come to compliance, or school district not come to compliance, when there was a threat to withhold funds. So, I am expecting that to happen here. If it didn’t, I think the school board would be recalled. The parents wouldn’t stand for it, for them to give up 10 percent of their entire budget just so they could be in defiance of state law,” Horne told FOX 10.

Threatening the school board with recall. Sounds eerily like the threats against judicial appointments made by Adams and Pearce over the Redistricting Commission nominations. These folks play hard ball — with razors sticking out of the baseball for emphasis.