The ACLU said in a letter to Tustin Unified School District officials Thursday that it plans to sue if the disparity isn't corrected.About 43 percent of the district's students are Latino, but they made up only 8.6 percent of its Gifted and Talented Education program's enrollment in 2005-06. Blacks make up 2.4 percent of the student body and 1.4 percent of those in the gifted program.
Whites make up nearly 36 percent of the district's students and nearly 60 percent of those in the gifted program. Asians, who are 13.3 percent of the district enrollment, make up 26.6 percent of the gifted enrollment.
District spokesman Mark Eliot said administrators were reviewing the letter.
"The letter is the ACLU's opinion, and we're confident our district does not discriminate against any student," he said. "We offer a comprehensive learning environment for all of our students."
Seems I've heard something about there being a huge influx in Mexican immigration in Orange County. And a lot of people complain that not enough cultural assimilation is happening, e.g., speaking English in the home, parental encouragement of American education standards (ok well, our standards are pretty crappy when compared to most European countries, but compared to Mexico I think we can still hold our heads up).
There are about a half dozen other theories I can come up with that are more likely to account for these statistics before having to revert to cries of racism. But then I guess they wouldn't be as much fun.
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