Latinos in Action gave students pride in their culture. Now, one teacher is left explaining why it’s gone.
When Jennifer* first learned about the Latinos in Action (LIA) program, she felt compelled to join. As a public school teacher working with English as a Second Language students, also known as ESL, Jennifer had already built rapport with a cohort of Latine students. She saw how LIA impacted their daily lives and believed that it was worth being a part of.
“It’s a class that helps. It kind of levels the playing field for them,” she tells Parents. “We teach leadership skills that can help them be successful in their other classes and in the future.”
LIA operates in 16 states, including Florida, where Jennifer teaches. But this year, after federal officials warned a major Florida district that it could lose grant funding if it continued the course, districts across the state began winding down their own LIA classes as well. In South Florida’s Broward County alone, about 2,800 students are affected as the district prepares to cancel LIA classes by next spring…