[HERITAGE-LIST] Request for assistance: Possible elimination of bilingual education in Miami (FL)-Dade County PS

[Scott G. McGINNIS]

Date: Fri 29 Aug 10:07:43 EDT 2008
From: <rocaa at fiu.edu> 

Please consider this important matter.
 
If you are in Miami, you can call 305-995- 1128 to sign up to speak in front of the board when the proposal to eliminate over 250 programs in bilingual education will be considered by the Miami-Dade Couty School Board. On September 3rd we will know for sure if this will be on the agenda for the September 10 meeting. The School Board can fax you a one-page form you can fillout and fax back. I just received the form this morning and plan to sign up to speak once I know the item will in fact be included at this meeting which is most likely (I spoke on this same matter many years ago at the height of English-Only amendment debates and anti-bilingualism in Dade then).
 
If you are not in Miami and support bilingual education programs and Spanish for native speakers and Haitian language programs for our children, please consider the following:
 
1. Contact the School Board Members to ask them NOT to eliminate bilingual education progerams in a county that is multilingual and that has developed great bilingual programs since the birth of the contemporary bilingual education program, at Coral Way Elememtary in 1963.
The phone number is 305 995 1334. You can also leave a message in support of bilingual education programs to Dr. Crew himself.
 
2. Write an editorial article or send letters to the editor to:
The Miami Herald
El Nuevo Herald
El Diario Las Américas
The New Times
 
Other news Media
 
3. Write emails or letters to the School Board Members.
 
 
Thank you,
Ana Roca
305-859-9065 (h--best number)
On sabbatical Fall 2008

P.S. Plan to come to Spanish in the US Conference at The Biltmore Hotel , Feb. 18th evening to Feb. 21, 2009