Kids barred from school bus because they spoke English

AP via Examiner.com ^ | 10 January 2007 | Staff

[shrinkermd]

The school bus driver let Rachel Armstrong's three kids board the bus Monday morning, but he warned them that he wouldn't give them a ride home that afternoon, nor could they ever ride his route again.

The problem: Armstrong's 10-year-old twin girls and 8-year-old son speak English. The driver told them the route had been designated for non-English speakers only.

Armstrong said Wednesday that she got a call from a worried daughter who didn't know how she was going to get home. "She thought they had done something wrong," she said.

So a furious Armstrong had to leave work early to pick up her stranded kids from Phalen Lake Elementary School.

School administrators apologized but didn't agree to let Armstrong's children keep riding the bus, as they'd been doing all year.

"It is our responsibility to ensure the safety of these kids and we made a mistake," said Dayna Kennedy, a spokeswoman for the district. "The kids should have gotten home that day."

[AFreeBird]

But to deny access if they speak English? Please tell me this is from another country.

Close - Minnes-O-ta.

Guess which party runs that state.

[Charlespg]

your taxes at work

[AFreeBird]

The problem is that particular bus route was meant to serve one of the district's three language academies. Phalen's is for Hmong kids learning English. The academies all have separate bus routes to keep their students together.

Seems to me that having a couple of english speaking kids on board would help the Hmong to learn the lingo a little better.

BTW: For those that don't know; the Hmong are from SE Asia and served the US & CIA during the war, and were brought here to the states afterwards. They were settled in MN. (Must have been quite a shock to go from tropical jungle to the land of 10,000 lakes and sub-zero winters.

[4Liberty]

1. Why does sitting on a bus entail speaking a certain language?

2. What country is this???

3. "Thanks," public (Gov't.) schools.

[EQAndyBuzz]

"You have to read on to find the School's explanation."

I didn't bother to read it, but let me take a guess? English speaking children will appear to non-english speaking children to be insensitive?

[MaxMax]

Ok I'll say it, ACLU. /Laff

[lesser_satan]

That's what I heard too. I don't like the idea of separate schools for Hmoob-speakers, and that's where the outrage should be directed. If the bus only goes to a school for those who speak Hmoob, why would they allow anybody else on? It sounds like the driver did them a big favor by giving them a ride, which probably took him out of his way.

[lesser_satan]

The bus goes to a special school for students who speak Hmoob. There is no reason for an English-speaking student to be on the bus, since it doesn't go to their school. Or at least that's what I've heard.

[newcthem]

This is just great........how about a policy that no one gets on a school bus UNLESS they speak English!!!!!

[Wuli]

"The problem is that particular bus route was meant to serve one of the district's three language academies. Phalen's is for Hmong kids learning English. The academies all have separate bus routes to keep their students together."

So, having a couple of kids on the bus who already speak English is a problem for the Hmong children, because??????

[mtbopfuyn]

It turned out that when the family moved last year, they landed outside of Phalen's attendance area. Armstrong said she was told her kids would have to transfer if they wanted to keep riding a bus, "or I'd have to find my own way to get them to school."

Sounds like the school was in the right and the mother was in the wrong. You move, you go to the new school. Been that way for ever.

[spintreebob]

Follow the money has been true for hundreds of years.

Follow the money in bilingual education has been true since at least 1968 when that part of the war on poverty was implemented. This type of issue was common place in Chicago in the late 60's and 70's.

Children with a Hispanic or Asian last name of 4th generation Americans who spoke perfect English and none of the foreign language were forced into the bi-lingual/multi-cultural program because that is where the money was. The parents objected to no avail. The answer was that the children SHOULD learn their own language and culture first before the imperialist language was imposed on them. (That Spanish was also an imperialist language was irrelevant.)

It wasn't just schools and busing. In fund-raising drives for the school, children were told which ethnic groups in the community they could, and could not, approach to sell cookies or whatever they were selling.

[raybbr]

3. "Thanks," public (Gov't.) schools.

Nope. Thanks to the brain dead public who keeps electing the school board members that enact these policies.

[tickles]

One has to wonder why children of Hmong still require ESL calsses when most immigrated into the US all those years ago? Are they still letting alot of them immigrate or something? or have they just not assimillated cause they've haven't been required to?

[VOA]

Follow the money in bilingual education has been true since at least 1968

No kiddin'.
Only love of filthy lucre would lead language instructors to
impose a method nearly GUARANTEED to keep these kids from picking up
conversational English.

SEGREGATION from kids that speak authentic American-style English.
(As oppossed to the rational approach of IMMERSION in American-style
English by being around other American children).

I'm sure the teachers union would breathless say (even with a
a straight face):
"It's ALL for the children."
Even if it's a throw-back to early 1960's segregation.

Nah, let's make it worse.
It's a throw-back to South African Apartheid.

[Fred Hayek]

Home of the Vikings.

I no longer call the local team the Vikings, unless the real vikings were pansy metrosexuals. The term I have for the Minnesota "football" team would get me banned.

[Dov in Houston]

These people have lost it. Now we penalize Americans for speaking english