What do you think about my son's open house being held entirely in Spanish.?

Question

I'm just interested in opinions here, not judging or anything.

I posed this question last week, but want to get a feel for how others might feel in a different section.
I live in N Dallas, Texas in a predominately hispanic neighborhood.
My son's elementary school is a public school.

His open house(hes in 2nd grade) was held last Thursday evening. You were required to meet in the gym, where the principle delivered a speech about various items regarding safety of the drop off area (many many people violate the rules in the drop off area by parking, etc) then they showed a short film about truancy.
Now ALL of this was spoken in Spanish. Only.
As we entered my 13 yr old daughter and son (we're all fair haired and skinned) a teacher handed us a translator device.

but I didn't see any others in the audience, and none of the other english speaking parents had one.
So many people literally sat there for 15 - 30 min with absolutely no idea what was being said.

Do you think thats right? Am I making a big deal out of nothing?

the level of venom this inspires is just startling. Firstly all the signs are in both spanish and english, and I had a translator, i saw no others and there are no different nights for things. I can't help my family being blue eyed blonds, we just happen to be the minority. And we really don't have an official language in the us to my understanding, but wow.. some people just come here to attack.

Answer 1

That is not right. Accomodating those who speak other languages is different than requiring those who speak english to accomodate those who are unable to speak the official language of this country. You should complain to the school board. If that does not work, file a civil rights complaint with the state department of education. Get other parents who were offended involved. This is simply unacceptable.

Answer 2

One responder stated "It's the future, don't think about the old USA". That is the problem-he hit it right on the head. The future will be bleak if you forget the past. This is the USA. We speak and write English. We have laws that are meant to control our borders. We have laws that are meant to control our welfare system. The immigrants from Europe-Asia-Canada and most other areas don't take it as a personal vendetta to change our rules. A US public school that would hold any kind of meeting in another language than English should be shut down and the elected officals impeached!! USMC 60-68

Answer 3

Personally I think it's insane. I would contact the principle, the school board, your rep, your senator and write a letter to the editor and try and get this news out so others see what is happening in our schools. I'm fed up with this whole fiasco and personally.....if my kids were school age.....I'd start homeschooling. These people need to learn English.

Answer 4

I'm thinking the school, was more concerned with the Spanish speaking parents, knowing the rules, probably cause they were the ones, breaking the rules.( About parking and truancy)

But in any case, it should never be, in Spanish only. And I would be at the school demanding the reason, and making sure, it never happens again.

Answer 5

You are making a big deal out of the inability to be able to communicate with the Teachers and other parent/kids. I think that is a VERY NOBLE CAUSE! If you don't have communication, then you have division. And THEY are the ones who need to learn English, not the other way around. THEY are the guests, not YOU! Most of the time the English speaking people are the only ones who pay taxes into the school system and you end up paying not to be able to communicate with the teacher.

Talking about the hight of hypocrisy! This is only one more reason why all of the illegal aliens need to be DEPORTED!

Answer 6

Was this the only open house they had? I don't know the dynamics of where you live, but, perhaps they had an English one and a Spanish one, and, your child took home the wrong note???

Otherwise, if it was only in Spanish, I would be raising hell. There is NO REASOn they couldn't at very least have an interpreter repeat things in English. The teachers have to be bilingual. Why wouldn't the principal read a sentence, then, have the teacher translate it. Personally, yes, I would raise hell and then some.

Parents having access to the education of their children is imperative to the success of that student. As such, they are morally obligated to provide parents the opportunity to enrich their child's education by understanding what is being said.

Answer 7

That is absurd-
It seems to me it would be in everyone's best interest if all business was conducted in English primarily and Spanish for emergency purposes only.
Catering to people who are unwilling to learn the language of the country they chose to immigrate to is doing no one any favors.

What is really disgusting is that people who are paying property taxes ( which of course support your local public school) are more than likely citizens who don't need to hear anything in Spanish- they understand English perfectly well- but their tax dollars are going to educate a group of people who can't even speak English- but they are going to be educated on your dime.

No wonder they don't bother to learn English as long as the world caters to them they don't have to.

I'd raise Cain at the next school board meeting- I'd bet your Spanish speaking neighbors won't be there.

Answer 8

Wow, I speak Spanish fluently and even teach it to Jr high kids, but that is BS. This is America and the open house at a public school should have been in English.

Things like this irk the hell out of me, it seems more and more that there is no good reason to learn English if you come to America.

I do not expect anybody to speak English to me when I go to Mexico.

Answer 9

No, I don't think you are making a big deal out of nothing, I would like to see this group of newcomers to our country learn English the way my great grandparents did when they came here. I can understand it, but sooner or later we are going to have to determine whether we will be the ones with translator boxes, or they will. My vote is for they will.
Bilingualism doesn't work on a countrywide level.
We need one language. This is the first group that has come here that expects us to learn theirs. Its not right. I hope they keep their language and their customs in their homes like everyone does, but a public school and other public facilities should be in English.

Answer 10

It is a public school. If it were in a predominantly English speaking area (Virginia, for instance, where we live), then there would have been one session in English and another in Spanish.

For them to not do ANY in English is just wrong. They got it backwards.

Are the classes taught in Spanish? No, in English. So the open house should be as well.