Kansas: Families sue Catholic school

[Harold Schiffman]

Families sue Catholic school


A lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court Monday against St. Anne Catholic
School.  The suit claims that an English-only policy "created and continues
to promote racial and national origin discrimination."

*Read the Entire
Complaint<http://kwch.images.worldnow.com/images/incoming/pdfs/school_complaint.pdf>
*

*Read Exhibit A*<http://kwch.images.worldnow.com/images/incoming/pdfs/school_a.pdf>
* **Read Exhibit
B*<http://kwch.images.worldnow.com/images/incoming/pdfs/school_b.pdf>


The suit was filed by four Wichita families including Mike and Clara Silva
whose 11-year-old son was kicked out of school last fall for refusing to
sign a pledge saying that he would not speak Spanish in school.

Adam Silva is a United States citizen whose first language is English.

The school says the policy was created to prevent bullying.

"What he and some of his friends were doing was using the Spanish language
to make derogatory statements against other students," says Wichita Catholic
Diocese spokesperson Fred Solis.

Mike and Clara Silva say that's not true.  They say they were never told of
any discipline issues with their son.

"There are families who feel unwanted-treated different. Their children are
harassed and they continue to feel afraid. They are afraid everyday they're
going to be asked to leave like Adam," says Clara Silva.

The school disagrees and says Adam was not asked to leave.  It says he was
transferred at the request of the Silvas.

The families are seeking an order barring the English-only policy, damages
for emotional suffering, plus all attorney fees.

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its
members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or
sponsor of
the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree
with a
message are encouraged to post a rebuttal. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)
*******************************************

http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=8347495&nav=menu486_2_1
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20080522/86ea7fa6/attachment.htm>