Specifically, the law targets Mexican-American studies programs taught in Tucson schools, where 60 percent of the students are of Mexican descent. The bill (HB2281) passed by the Legislature states that schools will lose state funding if they offer any courses that “promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, promote resentment of a particular race or class of people, are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group or advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.” This law will cut the Tucson school district’s budget by $36 million a year if they continue to teach ethnic studies courses.
