LAUSD and SB 1070, etc.

I just learned tonight that the Los Angeles Unified School District board recently voted to condemn Arizona's SB 1070 (which makes being in Arizona illegally a crime - something that seems kind of obvious to me. Illegal = crime in my mind.), as well as a bill that was passed that bans ethnic studies classes (Here is Arizona Superintendent Tom Horne's explanation about why he believed that such classes should not be taught. You will notice it was written several years back.). Additionally, they are asking the superintendent to look into making sure that the district is boycotting Arizona. Isn't that so thoughtful of the board members to be so concerned with Arizona and Arizona's decisions? Isn't it so thoughtful of them to condemn laws that, it seems to me, they perhaps haven't read? I just read the new parts of both bills - finally (I've been meaning to read 1070 for quite awhile). I find the claims of opponents to these laws to be ridiculous! I wanted to find LAUSD's press release but couldn't, so I'm giving you this link instead. The board believes that 1070 is un-American and wants it taught that way to students.

It's certainly entertaining (as well as frustrating) being a conservative and a Constitutionalist in the field of education. I try to not let my personal bias leak into my teaching. That's not totally possible, of course. I do try to help my students realize that there are other viewpoints out there besides what they normally get. I find it unacceptable that the Los Angeles School District can have its teachers discuss 1070 as an un-American law. If they want to read the law in class (which might not be a bad idea because then there would be more people in California actually reading it) and let the students debate it - fine.

Not swaying students' opinions/beliefs has become a huge deal - I even think it has gone too far. So interesting, though, that it seems to be okay as long as one promotes the viewpoints of the left.