March 5, 2001-- A court handed down a major decision regarding Utah's "Official English" initiative.
And it came while a dispute is heating up over language- based programs in Salt Lake's schools.
News Specialist John Daley has more.
As Utah becomes more and more diverse, disagreements over language are bound to become more common.
Today one such dispute was settled--for now--in court, while another is percolating in the schools, regarding the instruction of kids speaking English as a second language.
A rapidly growing Utah is home to a rapidly growing Latino population.
For many of them, English is not their first language.
This presents some challenges, particularly in schools.
Educators are charged with the responsiblity to teach kids this country's main language--English.
This, while respecting different cultures.
Perhaps nowhere is that challenge more daunting than in Salt Lake schools, which have the state's largest population of Hispanic students.
Case in point--Glendale Middle School.
Forty-eight percent of its students are classified as "limited English proficient."
The district gets federal money to teach them in English-as-a-Second Language programs.
But the chair of the school community council says the school should have 12 ESL teachers. But it has none, which he says is disastrous for those students.
Michael Clara/Chair/School Community Council: "AND MY OVERALL CONCERN IS THAT OUR SCHOOL HAS, HERE OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS, THE TREND HAS BEEN A 75 TO 80 DROPOUT RATE OF OUR EIGHTH GRADERS DON'T MAKE IT THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL."
But teachers we talked with at the school argue Clara is oversimplying the problem.
They say the school district is in transition on this issue.
And that the district has consolidated much of its ESL program to another school.
Keith Homer/Teacher/Glendale Middle School: "EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN WAY OF DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF A MULTI-LINGUAL CLASSROOM. AT THIS SCHOOL WE ARE VERY SENSITIVE TO THAT ISSUE. AND WE'VE TAKEN MEASURES TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE WITH THIS AS A SCHOOL."
Meantime, a similar issue with statewide ramifications has been resolved--for now.
In November voters--by a 2 to 1 margin--appoved an inititate making English Utah's official language.
The initiative was challenged in court by opponents as unconstitutional.
Today--a judge upheld the initiative while saying it would not restrict non-English speech.
Stephen Clark/Attorney/ACLU: "FUNDAMENTALLY THE COURT HAS RULED THAT THE ENGLISH ONLY STATUTE IS LARGELY SYMBOLIC. THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE."
In the "Official English" case, the ACLU says it may appeal or file a lawsuit in the future if a person's constitutional rights are violated under the law.
As for the dispute over ESL--Michael Clara says he plans to tell the School District Board tomorrow night of his intention to file a class action civil rights complaint against the distirct in federal court.
