Cavazos Says Students Need English to Learn and Gets Earful of Criticism
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LAREDO, Tex. — Education Secretary Lauro F. Cavazos told educators from this Texas-Mexico border area today that students who do not speak English are not ready to learn, and drew swift criticism.
Cavazos, speaking to about 1,500 Laredo principals and teachers, urged them to get parents more involved in education and to make sure students have a command of English.
“Parental involvement and language competency are basic,” Cavazos said. “If that child cannot speak English the first day of school, that child is not ready to learn.”
In a panel discussion afterward, South Texas superintendents took issue with Cavazos.
To rousing applause, La Joya Supt. Robert Zamora called the secretary’s remarks “disabling.” Zamora said students are capable of learning in other languages.
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