AZ AG: public schools not exempt from Prop. 203

[Richard LaFortune]

Interestingly, Andrew Dalby notes in his book,
Language In Danger (Columbia University Press,
2003)that,
"It took a sustained campaign of civil disobedience
before the British Government, in the 1960s,
grudgingly accepted its responsiblity to deal with
Welsh-speaking citizens in Welsh."
p 118 paragraph 2

Richard LaFortune
Minneapolis

--- Matthew Ward <mward at LUNA.CC.NM.US> wrote:
> This is sickening and outrageous..  I'm amazed that
> there haven't been
> more responses to this article.  What century are we
> living in, anyway?
>  Sounds like it's time for major acts of civil
> disobedience.  I'm sorry
> to sound extreme, but anybody who voted for an
> English-only law in
> Arizona, of all places, needs to move.  And, the
> idea that the law
> applies to schools on reservations...  This really,
> really needs to be
> publicized.  If anyone can point me to an
> organization fighting this, I
> would be very grateful.
>
> Liko Puha wrote:
>
> >AZ AG: public schools not exempt from Prop. 203
> >
> >By Bill Donovan - Navajo Times
> >
> >WINDOW ROCK - A couple of years ago, educators went
> on the offensive
> >when Arizona voters went to the polls to decide
> whether English would be
> >the only language that classes would be taught in.
> >
> >At that time, a compromise was reached that public
> school educators
> >thought would allow them an exemption so they could
> provide instruction
> >in Native American languages in the early grades.
> >
> >Boy, were they wrong.
> >
> >Education officials for the state of Arizona are
> now saying that based
> >on an opinion by the state's attorney general,
> public schools on the
> >reservation have to comply with the English Only
> law (Proposition 203).
> >Only Bureau of Indian Affairs schools are exempt.
> >
> >"This is a major step backwards," said Deborah
> Jackson-Dennison,
> >superintendent of the Window Rock Unified School
> District.
> >
> >Jackson-Dennison has got President Joe Shirley Jr.
> involved in her
> >efforts to get the state to change its policy and
> exempt public schools
> >on reservations that have a large Native American
> student population.
> >
> >Shirley and other tribal officials were in Phoenix
> Tuesday meeting with
> >state education officials to get the matter
> clarified.
> >
> >What's at risk, Jackson-Dennison said, were Navajo
> language immersion
> >programs like the one at Window Rock where students
> in the primary
> >grades get instruction in their native language. As
> they get into higher
> >grades, they receive more and more instruction in
> English.
> >
> >By doing this, she said, it now appears that school
> districts will be
> >putting in jeopardy some of their state funding.
> >
> >She said that on many state funding requests, the
> Arizona Department of
> >Education has placed a new item asking districts if
> they are complying
> >with the English Only law.
> >
> >"The form gives us only two options - yes or no,"
> said Jackson-Dennison.
> >"There is not a third option labeled 'exempt.'"
> >
> >By filling out the "no" blank, public schools on
> reservations within the
> >state are taking a definite risk of getting their
> application denied. If
> >they mark "yes," programs like Window Rock's Navajo
> Immersion Program
> >will be eliminated.
> >
> >State school officials have made it very clear that
> classes - all
> >classes - will be taught only in English.
> >
> >Margaret Garcia-Dugan, associate superintendent for
> the Arizona
> >Department of Education, said that while BIA
> schools are exempt from
> >complying with Proposition 203, public schools are
> not.
> >
> >In a written statement, she said that "if a public
> school has a large
> >Native American student population, it must still
> adhere to the
> >provisions set forth in Proposition 203 regardless
> of whether or not
> >that school is on a reservation.
> >
> >"Proposition 203 does allow teaching other
> languages besides English as
> >an elective (such as Navajo Language and Cultural
> Instruction)," she
> >said. "All other courses such as history, math,
> English, and physical
> >education are to be in (English Only) unless the
> student receives a
> >waiver."
> >
> >This, said Jackson-Dennison, doesn't make a lot of
> sense since federal
> >statutes contain provisions that protect and
> encourage the development
> >of native languages such as those offered within
> the Window Rock school
> >district.
> >
> >"The No Child Left Behind Act also encourages the
> teaching of native
> >languages," she said.
> >
> >Now, the state is coming in and saying that the
> school district could
> >lose some of its state funding by following the
> federal laws and this
> >isn't right, she said.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Rosalyn LaPier
> >Piegan Institute
> >www.pieganinstitute.org
> >
> >
> >


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