Make Bilingual Classes Voluntary
The parents from Dysinger Elementary School (Centralia School District) have taken a position regarding the method in which bilingual education is being taught at Dysinger. We are not against bilingual education. We do not object to providing any alternative language program necessary to ensure that national origin minority students with limited English proficiency have meaningful access to the school’s programs. We do object to what is happening at Dysinger Elementary School to our children.
The legislative intent is to provide quality educational opportunities for all children in the public school system with the primary goal of all programs to be taught in English. Other languages should be taught as a separate subject.
No California law mandates a bilingual education program. The Education Code and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 have provisions to assure equal opportunity for quality education for all children. Federal law also only requires school districts to provide equal educational opportunities to limited-English students, but does not specify methods.
We believe that bilingual education services should be made available for those students who have specific need in this area and with written parental consent. However, it should not be forced upon the English-speaking children.
By district and school decision, currently the parents from Dysinger have no choice whether their children participate in a bilingual class. It would appear that the immigrant non-English-speaking children have more rights than the English-speaking children. Bilingual education is a state voluntary program. Why is it not being treated as a voluntary program at Dysinger?
THERESE KENDRICK
CYNTHIA R. HAIR
Buena Park
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