An attempt to educate or indoctrinate≠
That was the question raised after a labor leader delivered a controversial speech in April to 800 students in a district the state superintendent of public instruction deems the most “radical” in Arizona.
Dolores Huerta, a co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union, told the students of Tucson Magnet High School that “Republicans hate Latinos” in a 30-minute speech that also blasted anti-illegal immigrant legislation, praised Venezuela’s socialist leader Hugo Chávez and criticized Arizona’s right to work laws as exploitative.
The speech inspired state lawmakers to hold an April 20 meeting of the House Select Committee on Government Operations, Performance and Waste. The emotions ran high enough to prompt one veteran lobbyist in attendance to comment that Ms. Huerta, now in her 70s, is a “commie” who had deviated far enough from the roots of the labor movement of icon Cesar Chávez to embrace bigotry.
A member of that committee, Rep. Jonathan Paton, R-30, believes that many in the Tucson area might agree with Mr. Huerta’s repeated suggestion that Republicans hate Latinos. But many don’t, he said, and it’s troubling that attendance was forced on students whose teachers signed up for the “overtly political” speech, and there was no opposing response or context presented.
“I don’t have a problem with kids expressing themselves in school,” he said. “What I don’t like is the idea of teachers or administrators using school resources to orchestrate a political result. The question that naturally arises is what do you do about that≠”
State law forbids school district and personnel from using resources, buildings and equipment to influence elections. Also prohibited is giving students written materials to influence elections and pending legislation.
The speech that highlighted the tense immigration dispute and focused attention on the role that schools play in educating students in debatable areas such as governmental, historical, political and economic, is far from an isolated instance.
Schools as ‘political platform’
David Horowitz, a former Marxist-turned conservative speaker, attended April 20 committee meeting. He told the Arizona Capitol Times that educators are shedding inhibitions that would otherwise deter them from seeking to form students’ political opinions.
“Schools are being used a political platform,” he said, relating an event in a California high school, where speakers told the students the war in Iraq is a quest for oil, and the war on terror is for the purpose of benefiting Jews.
When and how to introduce students to politically and historically sensitive subjects is not a definitive science, said Charles Quigley, executive director of the Center for Civic Education, a California-based non-profit teaching organization.
“Students should be taught civics from kindergarten up and the controversial things can start, depending on the school, the sophistication of the student populace, some things can be introduced in fifth or sixth grade, junior high,” said Mr. Quigley, who has served with the educational group since 1965. “For the more controversial things, high school, when they’re more mature and capable of dealing with them.”
The Center for Civic Education gives kindergarten through 12th grade classroom curriculum materials and teacher training in every congressional district in the United States, covering approximately 80,000 teachers, said Mr. Quigley.
It often works in tandem with state bar foundations to help train teachers on civic areas, such as constitutional government, justice, authority, privacy and responsibility, website states.
Mr. Quigley says he is positive bias exists, and that some of the teachers his group trains “act inappropriately,” but clear cut cases of bias exist more at universities and colleges than other education levels.
He cites the shortage of qualified teachers as the main source of educational problems. In the case of complaints against educators improperly politicizing subject matter, the likelihood of correcting the problem depends on the political astuteness of the community.
“One of the problems is the vast majority of teachers, particularly at elementary level, don’t have the academic subject matter, background in political philosophy, political history of the United States, constitutional law, and so forth, to be able to teach civics effectively,” he said. “The biggest need is the training of teachers.”
American communities, Mr. Quigley said, are generally supportive of the idea of students being exposed to controversial viewpoints, as long as an even-handed approach is taken, and efforts are not made to skew information “one way or the other.”
The issues presented to students by teachers that cover political, social and civic topics are valuable, but the role of the educator is clear, he said.
“With teachers doing the right thing, they’re helping kids learn how to make up their own minds,” he said. “Whether the kids come out conservative or liberal is none of the teacher’s business. The teacher’s business is helping them develop a more informed and enlightened position on issues or the capacity to develop those kind of positions, not to indoctrinate them.”
Mr. Quigley places responsibility upon teachers to make sure opposing viewpoints are expressed together with the opinions of guest speakers.
“We’re looking for Senator McCarthy. Is he here≠”
Among the spectators at the committee meeting was Rep. Ted Downing, D-28, who walked in facetiously wondering if Sen. Joseph McCarthy, the 1950s-era senator who became famous and highly criticized for pursuing people he considered to be subversive elements in society.
“We’re looking for Senator McCarthy,” said Mr. Downing, a research professor at the University of Arizona. “Is he here≠”
The assembling of the legislative committee, which attracted national attention from the O’Reilly Factor on Fox Television, had more to do with it being an election year than concern for messages received by students, he said.
“There are a lot of opinions on the planet and people need to be exposed to them,” Mr. Downing said. “High school kids should be able to discriminate in what they believe in.”
Exposure to Ms. Huerta’s arguments is not the problem, said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, who is cautious about the activities of El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, or Mecha, a national organization of Latino students and teachers active on the Tucson Magnet High School campus.
Web sites for the group compare juvenile delinquency to justified revolutionary action, detail oaths to defeat the “gringo dollar system,” and contain separatist calls to create the state of Atzlán from southwestern U.S. territory.
Mr. Horne, who calls the group “negative and racist,” is concerned about the involvement of faculty, citing that a librarian was wearing a Mecha t-shirt when he visited the school.
“I told them I think that the Huerta speech is the tip of the iceberg of the problem, and there is going to be attention on them if they don’t start presenting a balanced view to their students.”
The ultimate policy decisions concerning free-speech and guest speakers are the prerogative of local school boards, said Mr. Horne.
“We’re a local control state, he said. “All of things are decisions of local school boards. I’m not given power over that sort of issue unless the Legislature should decide to.”
Governing board member: ‘A passionate time’
But the militancy of the organization is outdated, and the fears are overblown, said Adelita Grijalva, the president of the governing board of the Tucson Unified School District.
The calls for action to restore “Atzlán,” what she describes as a “fictional” and “mythological” place, were written in the 1970s. Today the group merely serves to highlight Latino contributions and culture and to encourage students to fulfill their potential, she said.
She does not support Ms. Huerta’s statements and says the motivation to have her speak was to encourage students to perform well on the AIMS test scheduled days later.
The speech and surrounding emotion has much to do with the proximity of several big events for the Latino community at the time, she said, citing Cesar Chávez Day, and the scheduled immigrants’ rights marches in Phoenix and Tucson on April 10.
“It was just a really passionate time in all of the community, said Ms. Grijalva, daughter of Democratic Congressman Raúl Grijalva. “It wasn’t just revolving around TUSD. It just so happened that we had a very strong immigrants-rights activist come speak at that time.”
Amid the criticism, the school board met to examine the possibility of establishing administrative guidelines concerning guest speakers or instructing teachers to remind speakers “who their audience is and what the goal of their talk is,” she said.
Ms. Grijalva said she hopes the committee meeting will not have a chilling effect on the education process in the district, but she feels that teachers attempting to schedule guest speakers will now probably “think twice.”
Lawmaker: Bringing current issues to schools is ‘positive thing’
Rep. Steve Gallardo, D-13, a member of the committee and opponent of further legislative involvement into school free-speech and political issues, regards Ms. Huerta, and her message, as appropriate for high school children.
Forays by the state government unwisely run contrary to the local control exerted by elected school boards that are in a better position to decide what is acceptable for their students to hear, he said.
Judging by the “constant attack on the Latino community” demonstrated by the amount of “anti-immigrant” legislation, Ms. Huerta’s position is understandable and worth presenting to students to politically educate and involve them, said Mr. Gallardo.
“I don’t think any school district is trying to direct these students to be in a particular party,” he said. “I think they are bringing an issue that is current, that is real and for the most part, affecting their lives. And I think that’s a positive thing.”
Mr. Paton, who led the committee questioning of TUSD school officials, said that complaints of student indoctrination or intimidation are not limited to left-wing positions.
He recalls concerns from parents whose children felt pressured to express support for President George W. Bush in order to get good grades and is considering legislation that would require parental notification for political speakers and would bring candidate debates to high schools to ensure balanced presentation of political issues.
“I don’t want to restrict what people say, I just don’t want people to be punished for their beliefs or religious faith,” said Mr. Paton.