This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Regarding the discrimination complaint filed by board member David Lovato ("Davis School District accused of Bias," May 22) I believe that I saw 39 years ago exactly what the district is being accused of today. It seems that, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
In 1975, I was hired by the Davis School District to work with Hispanic students at Layton and Clearfield High Schools. Local Hispanic organizations were pressuring the district to provide a counselor for these students because so many were being suspended from school and the dropout rate was very high. School and district administrators were seen as being insensitive to Hispanic students.
It was further alleged that a strong bias existed against those who were not LDS, and that ethnic minority staff were not being hired for district schools.
Unfortunately, I found much of this to be true. It saddens me to read that this may still be going on in the Davis School District.
I am sure that positive change will now come to the district because of the complaint filed with the federal government. It is too bad that this is what it takes for this to happen.
Luciano S. Martinez
Murray