Tucson Arizona school discipline policy is not racist; Alan Keyes is right.

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As much as I pick on him, I'm not blind to the possibility that African American conservative Alan Keyes will issue a point of view I might agree with. This is one of those times I do: The Tucson, Arizona school discipline and race issue.


Alan Keyes may be a birther, but he can be right..

This all started when a columnist Doug MacEachern of the Arizona Republic, claimed that Tuscon schools were implementing a policy that was "two-tired": one for black students, and the other for other ethnic groups. He got that idea from this:

With the goal of creating a "restorative school culture and climate" that conveys a "sense of belonging to all students," the board is insisting that its schools reduce its suspensions and/or expulsions of minority students to the point that the data reflect "no ethnic/racial disparities."

Personally I think that's a praiseworthy objective and so does Alan Keyes. But where I take issue with Keyes is that this is not a "liberal" or "conservative" argument.

Keyes may wish to frame it as such, but I'm liberal and agree with the policy. It reminds me of Gates and Crowley all over again, where one as a police officer tends to give a pass to whites persons over people of color, as I discussed here:



What the Tucson school minders say is their current climate is "two-tired" and this new policy will change that. In other words, black students are more harshly punished for the same offenses that white students in particular may comment. A fair person would agree that should not stand.

Where some are really confused is that in order to make sure that a system is not being racist, how people are treated based on race must be analyzed. Seems logical ,but that escapes a lot of people on both sides of the political fence. One of those is Arizona State Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne, who thinks race should not be mentioned in the matter.

Tom Horne

That's crazy.

Alan Keyes and Tom Horne and Doug MacEachern don't look at the problem from a perspective of policy analysis: is the current school system fair in its treatment of all people? The Tuscon school execs, led by Superintendent Elizabeth Celania-Fagen, determined that it wasn't and worked to change that. A move that should be applauded by liberals and conservatives.

The bottom line is a "color-blind" society is not only an impossible achievement, it's silly. Part of who we are is our ethnicity. What we must learn to do, and make sure young people know how to do, is to be curious about and appreciative of such differences and not use them to punish one another.