Thread: AZ-Sen Klein quotes letter calling Latino students gangsters

From "elephants" to "R(H)INOS"-there's a new "beast" that defines the GOP!

Letter about Hispanic students in Glendale spurs controversy

60 comments by Alia Beard Rau - Mar. 21, 2011 08:46 PM
The Arizona Republic

Tony Hill said an unusually disheartening day of substitute teaching Glendale middle-school students spurred him to write a letter to Senate President Russell Pearce.

He didn't intend for that letter to be read on the Senate floor by Sen. Lori Klein, R-Anthem, or for it to become the center of an immigration legislation debate. He didn't intend for it to become the focus of a public-records fight between Pearce and the media, or to find himself the center of media attention.

But it was, and now he is.

Hill said he wrote the letter Klein read last week, and he said every word is true. Klein did not name the author during her speech.

He said the letter was about an experience with a history and language class in a grade 4-8 public school in Glendale, but he would not name the school. Glendale Elementary School District reported it has no record of a Tony or Anthony Hill subbing in the past couple of years. Hill's employment could not be confirmed at other districts in the city by press time.

In the letter, Hill said that a majority of students in that class refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance and when asked why told him "we are Mexicans and Americans stole our land." He said "most" of the students wrote in papers that "they were in the country illegally, White Americans are racist, and that they came here for a better life."

Hill said that when he asked the students to stop speaking Spanish in class, they told him that "Americans better learn Spanish and their customs because they are taking the land back from us." He said most students refused to open the textbook, tore out pages, and threw them at each other.

Senate staff originally released the letter following a public-records request, but did not include the name of the author. Sen. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, demanded during the Senate floor session Monday that the author be identified. He questioned the legitimacy of the letter.

Pearce told the media he would not release the author's name because the teacher would "probably be attacked, probably be fired."

But a few hours later, Senate Republican staff released the original letter.

When contacted by phone, Hill said he didn't write the letter out of malice or hatred.

"It just upset me that this was what's occurring . . . to see this disregard for America and their hatred towards it and their entitlement," he said.

Hill, who said he has a master's degree in education and is working as a substitute teacher until he can find a teaching position at the community college level, said this was the first letter he's written to a legislator. He said he regrets sending the letter because of the media attention it attracted.

Dan Barr, a Phoenix attorney with expertise in media law, said letters to state legislators are public record.

"And when they get up and read it aloud on the floor, they waive whatever arguments of privacy and confidentiality they could make concerning that letter," Barr said.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/glen ... z1HMyPu3Rt

Immigration Debate Reignited by Substitute Teacher's Letter

Updated: Tuesday, 22 Mar 2011, 10:34 PM MDT
Published : Tuesday, 22 Mar 2011, 7:13 PM MDT

PHOENIX - State lawmakers are blasting the words of a substitute teacher, who said his Hispanic students hate America and just want to be gang members.

A letter from that teacher was read by Republican State Senator Lori Klein last week during a hearing on immigration bills -- a move to rally support for a bill cracking down on illegal immigrant students -- a bill that did not pass.

Some lawmakers say it wasn't appropriate, and in fact, it's racist and ridiculous. Click here to read the entire letter »

The letter was signed by Tony Hill of Litchfield Park. The Arizona Department of Education says he is a certified substitute teacher.

In the letter, Hill writes to Sen. Russell Pearce, detailing an experience he had substitute-teaching at a Glendale public school.

"I asked the students why they refused to say the pledge of allegiance and they said we are Mexicans and Americans stole our land," the letter reads.

It goes on to say, "most of the Hispanic students do not want to be educated but rather be gang members and gangsters. They hate America and are determined to reclaim this area for Mexico."

Democratic Senator Steve Gallardo does not believe any of this happened.

"It is hard to believe we would have a class that would behave in this manner, 8th graders. Show me an 8th grade class that behaves like this," he says. "Anyone who would have read this would have said it is nonsense."

Senator Klein is standing firm, and is not apologizing for reading the letter.

"If they are not there to be educated and just want to make political statements we have a problem," she says.

"Do you think most Mexican American students want to be gangsters?" we asked.

"No I do not believe that," she replied.

"Do you think this letter blew that out of proportion?" we asked.

"I think that was his experience," responded Klein.

We tried to contact Tony Hill for an interview, but he did not respond.

We should also add, neither the Glendale Elementary School District nor other districts serving public school students in Glendale had any records of an Anthony or Tony Hill working as a substitute teacher.

BIG INTERVIEW | We talked to Sen. Steve Gallardo about this letter. He says there are some unanswered questions regarding the veracity of the author's claim, and that it was very irresponsible to read it on the Senate floor without verification. (video at the source link)


Statement by Russell Pearce, State Senate President
"On March 17, Sen. Lori Klein read on the Senate floor a letter written to me by a teacher in the West Valley. The letter described the challenges he faces in his classroom, with defiant students ignoring their school assignments, refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance and showing utter contempt for the United States. The letter gave a great first-hand perspective of the difficulties our outstanding school teachers face on a daily basis.

I am shocked that Members of the Minority are so quick to defend the actions of these troublemakers, and mock the frustration many teachers feel in bringing order to the classroom. Some Members even questioned the letter writer's existence, suggesting this was all fiction, and there was no teacher.

I've spoken with the teacher who wrote this letter. He stands by all he wrote. This is happening in our classrooms. The behavior by these students cannot and will not be condoned. Teachers have the right and the duty to keep control of their classroom.

Some Members of the Minority are now calling for me to apologize, and calling for Sen. Klein to apologize for reading it. We will not apologize. A teacher has a First Amendment right to express themselves, and we have an obligation to our citizens to keep them informed on what is happening in our schools."


www.myfoxphoenix.com

Originally Posted by jean

Some Members of the Minority are now calling for me to apologize, and calling for Sen. Klein to apologize for reading it. We will not apologize. A teacher has a First Amendment right to express themselves, and we have an obligation to our citizens to keep them informed on what is happening in our schools."

AMEN, AMEN, and another AMEN!!!!

Apologize for what!!! Telling the truth about these thugs! Truth hurts those that are living a lie.

From a parent on this subject... From "Todd-Debt-Free:" My daughter was unable to get away from the hostility of the very people this man is talking about. She DID GO TO TUSD and it happens every day. YES IT IS TRUE. They refuse to Pledge of Allegiance and disrupt class order with it. They are making territorial demands. They do feel colonization of Arizona is a birth right. They do make going to school difficult and we had to pull her out and send her to private schools because the Mexican Students have no respect for the other kids. They attempt to lure kids away from school and sell drugs. You can lie all you want. It is a reality. Just because you think it is Politically Incorrect is too bad. Keep ignoring it, and as the X-GEN comes to full power, we will be harsh. Fix it now, and we will not do anything. Your choice."

Originally Posted by topsecret10

Fix it now, and we will not do anything. "Your choice."

"Oh no it's too late for that! we're going to do something!"
Vote them out anyway!

Glendale substitute teacher who wrote letter still under fire

by Amy B Wang - Mar. 30, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Some are questioning the credibility and background of a substitute teacher behind a controversial letter.

Anthony Hill's letter to Senate President Russell Pearce criticized Hispanic students he'd taught in Glendale, saying they'd prefer to be gang members. Sen. Lori Klein, R-Anthem, read it March 17 during a Senate immigration debate.

Maricopa County Superior Court records from Hill's marital separation allege abusive behavior, although the records show no criminal history.

His wife got an order of protection against him in 2007. In a filing, she said Hill choked her and physically abused the family dog.

The claims didn't prevent Hill from being a substitute, which requires a bachelor's degree and criminal-records check.

Critics Tuesday questioned the use of the letter in light of Hill's background. "We have a level of responsibility and a level of common sense that should have been used here, and wasn't," said Sen. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix.

Hill, Pearce and Klein could not be reached for comment

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/glen ... z1I87bACp9

Glendale district seeks normalcy after letter's firestorm

23 comments by Amy B Wang - Mar. 30, 2011 09:27 AM
The Arizona Republic

Leaders at the state Capitol continued this week to sound off about a letter that stirred controversy, even as the Glendale Elementary School District is trying to return to "business as usual."

Debate was sparked after a substitute teacher sent a letter to Senate President Russell Pearce saying that many students in an eighth-grade class refused to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance and, when asked why, they told him, "We are Mexicans and Americans stole our land." He wrote that most students refused to stop speaking Spanish and tore pages out of their textbooks.

Pearce shared the letter with Sen. Lori Klein, R-Anthem, who on March 17 read it aloud on the Senate floor, attracting a frenzy of national media attention.

The district revealed last Wednesday that Anthony Hill, the substitute teacher behind the letter, worked briefly in the district. Records show Hill substituted on March 8 for an eighth-grade reading, writing and social studies class at Harold W. Smith Elementary School, near 63rd and Glendale avenues.

District officials defended students against the claims, but now aim to return to teaching.

"We're in crunch time. We're a couple weeks from AIMS," said district spokesman Jim Cummings, referring to statewide standardized tests that will take place April 11-21. "We don't want anything disturbing the classroom at all. We're trying to keep things as normal as possible and just get back to our regular routine."

But not everyone is putting the issue to rest.

Democratic leaders planned a news conference Tuesday to "speak out against the negative depiction of children of color."

The conference included representatives from a church, the Anti-Defamation League and non-profit community organization Valle Del Sol.

The Senate Democratic caucus organized the gathering to offer the message that "it's not OK to disparage children of color, or any child at all," said Jeanette Tejeda de Gomez, spokeswoman for the caucus.

Tejeda de Gomez said the caucus was disturbed by Pearce's use of Hill as an example, without vetting him. They questioned the substitute's credibility.

In the days after the incident, the school district received about a dozen phone calls from parents, which Cummings said were all supportive.

He said none of the students remember making or hearing the inflammatory comments mentioned in Hill's letter. They also said kids stood up for the Pledge of Allegiance.

"Usually when something happens, you get 70 different stories from 30 kids," Cummings said. "The kids have been remarkably consistent and so we feel good about what we said."

The incident prompted many comments from the community, including former teachers and parents of the school. Many struck a balance between defending the students and measured sympathy for Hill.

June Beck, a former PTA president at Harold W. Smith Elementary, recognized the challenges of walking into a classroom as a substitute teacher. "The students, as soon as they know they've got a sub coming in, they start misbehaving. I think that could happen anywhere. It wouldn't be just Glendale."

Beck, whose five children attended Smith Elementary, said the kids likely were acting up but the incident was overblown.

Glendale City Councilwoman Norma Alvarez, a longtime advocate in the school district, echoed those sentiments.

"They just want to be difficult. They just want to know more than you do," she said of the eighth-graders. "It isn't a racial thing. It's a kids thing."

However, she said the substitute should not have used his experience in a predominantly Hispanic district to make a political statement.

"I think he crossed the line by stereotyping all the kids," said Alvarez, whose children and grandchildren attended Glendale Elementary schools. "He just wanted to get that point across that Hispanic kids don't want to be here. These kids were born maybe in Mexico, but they've lived here all their life. They want to be as American as you and I."

Norma Alvarez is not related to Rick Alvarez, the principal of Harold W. Smith Elementary.

Rick Alvarez declined to comment.

Classroom management is one of the most difficult things for a teacher to master, said Nancy Perry, assistant dean of clinical services at Arizona State University's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.

"We need to support schools and teachers and substitutes as well as students," she said. "I don't know how much truth was in that letter, but obviously there needs to be some discussion."

There are no strict rules for how to rein in classroom misbehavior, Perry said, and the substitute did not violate students' privacy; he did not use their names in the letter.

However, she said it would have been most appropriate for teachers or substitutes to discuss those kinds of discipline concerns with the principal.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/glen ... z1I88E5VEP