“This class was our space, our new home.”
That’s how Joselyn Garcia, an eighth grader at Diplomat Middle School, described the Latinos In Action, LIA, program recently cut from Lee County middle and high schools. Her voice joined a chorus of students urging the Lee County School Board to reverse the decision, which they say strips away a safe space that helped students build leadership, identity and belonging.
The School District of Lee County removed the Latinos program April 10. “As part of our regular curriculum review, we are making some changes to be in alignment with updated guidance from the Federal Department of Education,” the district announced in an email to families…