Anselmo Ramon, Director of Tucson Unified School District's Native American Studies

Declaration of Policy: The legislature finds and declares that public school pupils should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not based on Ethnic Background.

Prohibited courses and classes: A school district or charter school in this state shall not include in the program of instruction any courses or classes that either;

1. Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group.
2. Advocate Ethnic Solidarity Instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.

These statements should have the attention of all educators, parents, community as well as the tribal governments and organizations that support positive education efforts for all students in public schools. The language and spirit of the current Senate Bill reminds me of a statement made in the year 1899 by a top government Indian Affairs Official; “The settled policy of the government is to breakup the reservations, destroy tribal relations, settle Indian upon their own homesteads, incorporate them into the national life, and deal with them not as nations and tribes or bands, but as individual citizens….”

In my work with students, as a teacher in public schools, it was always their curiosity to know who I was and where I came from, it was from that natural ability to want to learn about others is where I was able to share my culture and language as an O’ Odham, and from that experience they would begin to find out and ask questions of parents and grandparents about what interesting things they could know about their family origins.

For the SB 1069 to prohibit and or eliminate ethnic studies departments in the state is a concern as is and was in the History of Indian Education, it is the same mindset that is to remove a person’s language and culture from them through education…The history of Indian education has not be a very positive one and at times continues to be a challenge, however I believe that Educators, School Districts and Tribal entities that support positive rigorous education standards of education can make a difference and should be given opportunity to develop and implement curriculum that reflects the history and culture of the students who attend.

States around Arizona have already adopted textbooks that can be used in the curriculum that reflect native language and culture, as well as states who incorporate standards specific to Native American people in their public education curriculum.

Although the current SB exempts Native Pupils as stated in the language under part C. “This section shall not be construed to Restrict or Prohibit:” 1. Courses or Classes for Native American Pupils that are required to comply with federal law….It is a very serious concern to know the history of Indian Education and the Negative effects it has had on Native American Students past and present, it should be all our concern in these days that history does not repeat itself in this manner as we are dealing with young people, not products or property but real young people who deserve the best education has to offer them…and not limit them in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding through the diversity of curriculum in education.