The firing of 2 teachers in 1997 sparked a curriculum debate in New Mexico schools

By Royale Da

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    VAUGHN, New Mexico (KOAT) — A controversial decision in a tiny New Mexico school district once sparked a heated debate about educational freedom and curriculum standards.

In 1997, Patsy and Nadine Cordova were fired from the Vaughn Municipal School District after they refused to teach a state-prescribed curriculum. They argued that it didn’t adequately reflect the cultural backgrounds and the needs of their students.

“The school board president told us directly that we were teaching racism and hatred of Anglos by teaching our own history, and if we wanted to teach our history, we should do it behind closed doors,” Patsy Cordova said.

The sisters felt otherwise.

The school district said its curriculum aligned with state standards and was designed to ensure consistency across classrooms.

The sisters sued the district for violating their First Amendment rights and received a settlement of $520,000.

The situation raised important questions about the balance between standardization and the need for culturally relevant teaching.

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