Speak English or Die
Shut up, spanish speaking immigrant
who isn't white
Spanish at school translates to suspension
Controversy caused by Kansas City incident reflects national debate
KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Most of the time, 16-year-old Zach Rubio converses in clear, unaccented American teen-speak, a form of English in which the three most common words are "like," "whatever" and "totally." But Zach is also fluent in his dad's native language, Spanish -- and that's what got him suspended from school.
"It was, like, totally not in the classroom," the high school junior said, recalling the infraction. "We were in the, like, hall or whatever, on restroom break. This kid I know, he's like, 'Me prestas un dolar?' ['Will you lend me a dollar?'] Well, he asked in Spanish; it just seemed natural to answer that way. So I'm like, 'No problema.' "
But that conversation turned out to be a big problem for the staff at the Endeavor Alternative School, a small public high school in an ethnically mixed blue-collar neighborhood. A teacher who overheard the two boys sent Zach to the office, where Principal Jennifer Watts ordered him to call his father and leave the school.
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The school district has officially rescinded his punishment and said that speaking a foreign language is not grounds for suspension. Meanwhile, the Rubio family has retained a lawyer, who says a civil rights lawsuit may be in the offing.
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What people misunderstand is something very, very simple: America has no official language. And NEVER has. People fought the Revolutionary War speaking German, and the Civil War. Spanish has been common since the Louisiana Purchase. From the very first days of the Republic, this has been a multi-lingual country. Dutch was common along the Hudson River Valley into the 19th Century.
So this is just another cooked up issue
posted by Steve @ 10:09:00 AM
