Wichita, May 21, 2008 / 06:14 pm (CNA).- A Catholic school in Wichita is being sued by four Hispanic families over a policy that requires students to speak English in school at all times."Anchor babies"??? One might wonder who's paying the tuition for these students. Perhaps a Mexican school would serve their needs better?
The Associated Press reports that the lawsuit filed against St. Anne’s Catholic School on Monday seeks to end the policy and to secure an order barring similar policies at other diocesan schools. The suit also seeks to allow the return of one student who was allegedly kicked out for refusing to sign the “English only” pledge. It asks for court costs and unspecified damages for discrimination and emotional suffering.
Parents Mike and Clara Silva, Maria and Fermin Fernandez, Guadalupe Cruz-Tello and Alma Contreras filed the lawsuit on behalf of themselves and their minor children. The lawsuit names as defendants St. Anne Catholic School, Principal Margaret Nugent, St. Anne Catholic Parish, and the Catholic Diocese of Wichita.
The diocese said the school instituted the policy in response to four students who were using Spanish to bully others and to put down teachers and administrators. The majority of the school’s 243 students are white, while 75 students are Hispanic, 27 are Asian, and two are black.
According to court documents, the students named in the lawsuit are bilingual U.S. citizens with no disciplinary record....
One might also wonder that if the kids are bi-lingual U.S. citizens, what problem is there with requiring them to speak English? Emotional suffering? God help us!
Maybe the policy should be changed - to Latin only?
2 comments:
I'll keep my commetns civil and respectful when the 'writer' gives back the same on their articles. All I have to say is A**HOLE. I bet he wont have the b*all to post this.
I am saddened by the bigotry in this country. This student should be disciplined for bullying NOT for speaking a language other than English. It is amazing, that the rest of the world is becoming more educated and learning different languages and relishing the opportunity to practice it and we Americans are attempting to limit our children and not allow them the same opportunities to compete in an increasingly Global Market. I am a proud Biligual Catholic American and what allows me to feel proud about my country is the fact that we welcome all cultures, languages and traditions. I love living in NYC for this same reason. I love that my best friends come the four corners of the Earth. Please think about your bigotry and where these ideas have gotten our beautiful country in the past (slavery, segragation, racism, sexism) Just think about it. We are a great country because of the different strenghts each ethnic group brings to the table. Don't limit us or our children.
God bless
Joanna
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