Parents Picket School, Allege Bias in Bilingual Programs
About 15 placard-carrying parents picketed Van Nuys Middle School in Sherman Oaks on Monday, complaining that school administrators discriminate against non-English-speaking children and their parents.
The pickets demanded that Principal Tony Delgado resign, but he was defended by about 10 counter-demonstrators.
The protesters said students in the bilingual programs and their parents were being segregated from their counterparts in the magnet and mainstream school programs and parents were “intimidated” to prevent them from taking part in school decision-making.
Delgado rejected the allegations, saying many staff and faculty members--himself included--are bilingual and communications to parents are always in English and Spanish.
Delgado said he plans to dedicate the final parent-faculty meeting of the year, on Thursday, to addressing the protesters’ concerns.
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