Controversial plan would force Dallas principals to learn Spanish

NBC:

A controversial new proposal would require school officials to learn Spanish in order to better communicate with students and their families.

Under the proposal, schools in the Dallas Independent School District that have at least a 50-percent Hispanic student population would require more than bilingual teachers. In fact, principals would be required to learn Spanish within three years.

Anna Paredes, whose 7-year-old son, Juan, attends Reinhardt Elementary, likes the idea. While Paredes is bilingual, her husband speaks only Spanish.

Paredes said the plan makes sense "only because some parents don't speak English, and the children have to translate for the parents."

However, Dallas resident Peggy Neill is opposed to the plan.

"I think [parents] should learn English so they … won't speak Spanish all the time at home, and the child has to go to school and learn English," she said. "They're fighting a losing battle. Right?"

Under the proposal, Reinhardt Elementary, with a Hispanic population of 67 percent, would be impacted. The school's principal doesn't speak Spanish.

Still, at least one teacher said a lot of effort is made to communicate with Spanish- speaking parents, from the front office to the counselor's office.

The school board will make a final decision on the issue next week.

DISD set to vote on bilingual proposal