This paper considers the history and current status of interactions between Hispanics and public education in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, where widespread Hispanic presence is primarily a recent development, focusing on regular and gifted education. Policy actions by state government and postsecondary institutions as well as the Hispanic community are included. Research methodology involved personal communication and literature review, with some primary and secondary documents providing additional detail. Results find that Alabama, Georgia, and Florida differ significantly in Hispanic population and by when their Hispanic population arrived. Despite these differences, state policy responses have been very similar in some ways. Within gifted education, all three states have expanded identification criteria to increase the participation of students from groups under-represented under previous rules that emphasized IQ scores. Florida and Alabama policies changed under threat of legal action, while Georgia policy changed without such pressure. Both Florida and Alabama have implemented a dual pathway into programs for the gifted. The states' Departments of Education have not been very responsive to the needs of minority students in gifted education. Postsecondary programs originating in state colleges and universities have responded more quickly to demographic shifts than programs run by the State Departments of Education. (Contains 14 references.) (SM)