Posted on 05/21/2008 7:44:18 AM PDT by steel_resolve
WICHITA, Kan. — Four Hispanic families are suing St. Anne's Catholic School over a policy that requires students to speak English at all times while at school.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, calls for an end to the policy and asks for an order barring similar policies at other diocese schools. It seeks the return of one student to the school who was allegedly kicked out for refusing to sign the "English only" pledge. And it asks for court costs and unspecified damages for discrimination and emotional suffering.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Pastor Fr. Thomas Leland - tleland@stannewichita.org
Lend the good Father your support it will help all of us to stem the tide of pushy families of all stripes who want their way.
In order for the kids to quickly learn English they should be immersed in English. Probably this is one reason for the rule.
Could also be discipline reasons involved, ie, kids speak Spanish to dis teachers or other students. I was lucky when I was teaching HS in TX because I knew most of the bad words in Spanish, and the first time a student used one in my presence, I told them that was totally unacceptable in my classroom. They were stunned, but suddenly I had their respect (plus they were afraid because they didn’t know how much Spanish I knew!).
susie
It’s a private school and they have the right to make any rule they want. Assimilate or perish...
OK
I agree. They should just let the kiddies bring their lunches. Wouldn’t THAT tick off the parents in question (if their kids are on free or reduced price lunches). And I would announce to the school exactly why they are having to forgo the lunches.
susie
My point is the school is private and attendance is voluntary. If I were the judge, I say go where you like the rules.
No deje la puerta golpear su asno en la salida.
MAKE ENGLISH THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE!! What are we waiting for..
The Catholic church is now beginning to reap the fruits of its support for illegals. They are a private school and if they want to have a only latin spoken here rule they can. The illegal’s anchors are 99% going there on a “scholarship” where the legal parents pay a little more for their kids to go in order to help subsidize the freebee anchors. The litigants are not only probably illegal, they are ungrateful also.
You gotta ask yourself, why am I suing a school or church in which I am VOLUNTARY participating.
Hmmm I won’t. But I’m not leaving....
susie
Sounds good in theory, but that is not what actually happens in schools where students are not native English speakers. In practice, it is nothing short of a nightmare. My kids live though it every day.
Eleven more days and they're out of that mess for good.
not a bad idea....if more people would take this type of stand, alot of the bullies of liberalism would slink off into the darkness
The poetic justice here is just too sweet.
I worked the Cal prison system for 28 years and we didn't have such a rule. We had too many more important rules to enforce. I will say it was an incentive for the staff to learn Spanish.
Our society is founded on personal freedoms, with freedom of expression being one of the most sacred. Why is it that those who claim to be the most patriotic among us are among the loudest when it comes to denying those freedoms to others when it doesn’t match their view of what America should be? A Catholic school is privately owned to be sure, but then again so are most of the businesses on Main Stree U.S.A. How would people feel if they went to a Mexican restaurant in Miami, USA and were told that they weren’t allowed to speak English there? They would likely boycott the place and see if there was any legal action they could take to prevent such blatant discrimination. America hasn’t always lived up to the ideal listed in the constitution but it has consistently moved in that direction. We can’t choose to allow freedom only when it is convenient or when it doesn’t interfere with our view of how things should be.
OK - My flamesuit and protective goggles are on :)
It’s a private religious school. The government has no jurisdiction in this case.
Because it slows down their acquisition of English proficiency. MUCH research has shown that "total immersion" is the quickest way to learn a language.
The problem with kids who speak other languages on the playground is that they tend to get into groups of other kids who speak the language they do. They don’t tend to assimilate.
susie
Then I wouldn't go there, I would take my money elsewhere. It's a private school, and thus is in the throes of the free market. If a restaraunt can have a Spanish only policy and stay in business, more power to them. If the parents don't like the English only policy, go back to the public school and do as they please.
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