Friday, January 20, 2012

Three of the banned books were approved in 2007, but not properly?!

[Note: A chronological list of links to AICL's coverage of the shut-down of the Mexican American Studies Department at Tucson Unified School District is here. Information about the national Mexican American Studies Teach-in is here. The best source for daily updates out of Tucson is blogger David Abie Morales at Three Sonorans.]
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Earlier today, Mark Stegeman, president of the governing board of the Tucson Unified School District was on the Buckmaster radio program. A caller phoned in saying that he was looking at a document from the district that approves a list of books. That list includes three of the banned books: Critical Race Theory, Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, and Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

Stegeman's response to the caller was that the list was not properly approved.

I wish the host of the program would have pressed Stegeman on his answer. What does "proper" approval look like?!

Tucson Citizen uploaded a screen shot of the document, and, uploaded the document on Scribd. I downloaded it. It is signed by Patricia E. Lopez, Deputy Superintendent, and, Roger F. Pfeuffer, Superintendent. It is dated June 12, 2007.

Under the "Description and Justification" section is:
The attached list reflects the 2006-2007 Supplementary Textbooks & Technology materials used to supplement the Adopted Textbooks currently being used in the classroom.

Under the "Board Policy Considerations" section is:
Teachers may use these books with approval of the Deputy Superintendent with Governing Board's ratification during the school year in which they were added. 

Is Stegeman saying that the items (books, videos, lesson plan packets, transparencies, study guides, workbooks) on the list were only approved for use in 2006-2007?

If the answer is yes, then, are all the 102 items on that list also being boxed up and removed until they are "properly" approved?

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FOR A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF AICL'S COVERAGE, CLICK ON:
AICL Coverage of Arizona Law that resulted in shut down of Mexican American Studies Program and Banning of Books

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