Now news comes that over at Charlotte Mecklenburg School System's Devonshire Elementary they have an "English Only Policy" that they take rather seriously.
According to the Charlotte Observer:
"A former school secretary has sued Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, saying she lost her job at Devonshire Elementary when a new principal banned her from speaking Spanish to parents who can't speak English.
Ana Ligia Mateo claims she was hired as a bilingual secretary for the east Charlotte school in 2006. But when Suzanne Gimenez took over as principal in 2008, the lawsuit says, Gimenez "announced in a staff meeting that she would no longer allow Spanish to be spoken to parents by any of the faculty or staff."
As you can imagine Mateo kept on speaking to parents in Spanish and Gimemez took matters into her own hands. Once, Mateo alleges, staff members told her they thought she empathized with Hispanic parents because she "crossed the border just like them."
You can email Devonshire's Principal Suzanne Gimenez here.
Mateo, a Charlotte resident and U.S. citizen, says her employment was "effectively terminated" shortly thereafter.
This year 42 percent of Devonshire's 500 students are Hispanic. The school's Web site says that the school theme is "Academy of Cultural and Academic Diversity."
The rest of the Charlotte Observer story is here, and a copy of the lawsuit is here.
Charlotte you better wake up, when the US Census is done later this year we might just show a real big jump in Hispanic families living here in Meckburbia. Legal and illegal Hispanics are going to be a major force in the years to come.
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8 comments:
OK, I know I am going to get a lot of flack for this, BUT here it goes.
I DO think we need some way of helping those who do NOT speak English to learn OUR language, but I do NOT think we need to keep adding spanish to every facet of our government or schools. We NEED to help those who come here LEARN OUR language.
We have already spent millions of this dual language philosphy and it is not fair nor is it ever going to be enough! How can America keep spending this kind of money when we don't have it!
If we continue with this trend we will have to provide for thousands of other languages and we DO NOT have this kind of money NOR is it right for US to change our language to support those who come here.
OK, I said it....LOL
Yep you are so right, we should make every effort to teach English but we should stop punishing those of us who do speak English.
Why is the first thing I hear when I call Bank of America .... "Presione dos para español" what is up with that?
You don't see Russia, Italy, China, Japan, France, etc..., etc... Changing their language b/c Americans like to visit or move to THEIR country!!!
I am alot more conservative than most posters, and Obama/criminals/ illegals (same thing) top my list of things to help do something about. HOWEVER, let's take a deep breath and think about this situation. Bilingual employee's are invaluable to everyone. I am certain there is more to this situation, and we will find out in due time. This is not the war on terror, it is an employee not obeying instructions, albeit dumb instructions.
Since the census is coming through let them gather the information on thh Illegals pass it along to ICE and then let nature takes it's course. I asked a friend who has family in Mexico, don't you know they don't teach the kids or adults english there. Why does everyone feel the need to push it on people here in the states..I support the English Only School Good for them...They are in the USA
Hey, Anon 10:29-It's because all of those countries speak English already. Learning a second language is a priority in the schools of all those countries because the people that run them realize that it keeps their citizens competitive in a global market.
@anon12:58:
#1 Yeah let's spend millions incarcerating, processing and deporting illegal so we can do it them again in a couple of months.
#2 Unless you are rich you aren't getting an education in Mexico at all. Ask yopur friend about that.
To all the idiots above me, English -->IS NOT<-- the official language of the US. This country has no official language for a reason. This was meant to be a country of immigrants, Spanish, French, German, Chinese. IT. DOES. NOT. MATTER. This is not your country, this is everyones country whether you were born here or not. You people make me sick. It is nothing more but racism, you can color it any way you want but that is what this is all about. There is also no official religion. And there is no such thing as American culture, this is a melting pot, love it or leave it.
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