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ACLU of Idaho Report Shows Discrimination Against Latine Students Built into Policy, Culture at Public Schools
The organization released the report today, titled Proud to be Brown: Punishing Latine Culture in Idaho
BOISE – In response to complaints received over the course of many years, the ACLU of Idaho’s Legal Fellow Erica Rodarte Costa spearheaded an investigation into the conditions around alleged discrimination against Latine* students and compiled findings into a report titled, “Proud to be Brown: Punishing Latine Culture in Idaho'' which was officially released today in English and Spanish.
The research, which began in September 2022, unearthed a distinct difference in the way Latine children were disciplined for perceived wrongdoings and the disproportionate way policies were written to restrict Latine students from expressing themselves in a way that does not exist for non-Latine students.
“Latines in Idaho have known that school policies and culture have been hostile to Latine families for decades, and this research validates that,” Rodarte Costa said. “For years, the policies and, more informally, culture and environment from officials in Treasure Valley school districts have defaulted to labeling Latine kids as troublemakers, even when they’ve done nothing wrong. I felt the frustration from parents and students as they attempted to push back against a system that has historically and intentionally placed extra obstacles in their path to obtaining an education. I hope this report can shed light on the situation, inspire schools to examine their policies and procedures and provide validation to any Latine family that has experienced racial discrimination but felt they couldn’t do anything about it.”
The 43-page report includes individual cases of blatant discrimination, statistics that demonstrate how common those cases are, and solutions for school districts to address implicit and explicit anti-Latine discrimination.
“The ACLU of Idaho does not take systemic discrimination lightly,” said Leo Morales, Executive Director of the ACLU of Idaho. “Erica’s research was very thorough for the scope of this project. In it, we found policies that restrict clothing usually only worn by Latine students, Latine students being punished more harshly for the same actions as their white counterparts, and that the enforcement of those policies is upheld by a culture of retaliation against those who speak against it. This multi-layered approach to creating a more hostile environment for Latine youth is systemic discrimination, and we strongly denounce it and attempts to defend it.”
The report is available to the public on the ACLU of Idaho’s website.
Este informe está disponible en español en el sitio web de la ACLU de Idaho.
*The report and the ACLU of Idaho have elected to use the term “Latine” (Lah-TIN-eh) as a non-gendered term to describe someone whose ethnicity is rooted in a Latin American country and culture. It is similar to the terms Latinx, Latino, Hispanic, and others, while recognizing the limitations that come with each of the terms.
The ACLU of Idaho is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of Idaho strives to advance civil liberties and civil rights through activities that include litigation, education and lobbying. Learn more at acluidaho.org.
