Navajo Times, News Report, Posted: Feb 27, 2012

 The first Arizona state superintendent of schools to visit the Navajo Nation in 29 years pledged to fight for impact aid and help public schools on tribal lands teach Native language and culture.

John Huppenthal assured the 40 or so teachers, parents and community members who came to his town hall meeting at the Wildcat Den that Native language and culture classes will not go the way of Tucson Unified School District's Mexican-American studies program, which Huppenthal banned last year saying it violated Arizona law by "promoting racial resentment."

"We don't anticipate any fallout to other cultural studies programs," Huppenthal told anxious parent Matthew Yazzie.

Yazzie's daughter is part of the cultural song and dance troupe at Many Farms Elementary School that performed for Huppenthal and his entourage at Tuesday evening's meeting.

"The challenges associated with that (Mexican-American Studies) program are isolated to that program, that school district and that environment," he said. Read more here.