| In Arizona schools, it is estimated that 130,000 students | | | | for advancement or end up collecting social benefits. |
| have a language other than English as their first | | | | Arizona schools must provide the services these kids |
| language. These youngsters are not fluent in English. | | | | need to give them the best possible chance for future |
| Unless their English-language skills are brought up, how | | | | success. |
| can they be expected to get a good education? | | | | Arizona Schools Must Comply with Federal Law |
| Arizona Schools Can't Wait | | | | Federal law directs that all students must be given the |
| These students attending Arizona schools have the | | | | opportunity to learn English. Some Arizona schools |
| right to a good education and the fact that their | | | | have not sent in the required paper work estimating |
| mother tongue is something other than English is | | | | the cost to fund English-language programs to the |
| something that needs to be dealt with. Waiting won't | | | | Department of Education. Administrators at Arizona |
| change the situation or improve on it. | | | | schools are aware that they need to provide English |
| In fact, the longer these students have to wait to get | | | | programs to these students, so what is the hold up in |
| the language training they need from Arizona schools, | | | | getting the paperwork prepared and submitted? |
| the more they may fall behind. How can the teacher | | | | The state will provide funding after the request has |
| evaluate what level the students are capable of | | | | been reviewed. Arizona schools need to put the |
| working at if there are language barriers preventing | | | | funding request closer to the top of their list of priorities |
| them from communicating with each other effectively? | | | | right now. A deadline was given to them to get this |
| The longer Arizona schools wait to provide the | | | | done almost a year ago. If they go past that date, they |
| resources these students need, the more likely it is that | | | | run the risk of being fined $1 million per day until the |
| they will end up dropping out at some point because of | | | | papers are handed in. |
| failure to keep up to their peers, frustration, or some | | | | This issue should never have gotten to this point. To |
| other factor. When kids drop out of school, it ends up | | | | the administrators at Arizona schools - get the papers |
| costing all of us, whether they had been attending | | | | handed in - NOW! Put the funding in place so that the |
| Arizona schools or not. | | | | students who need to learn English can do so. They |
| When a person is unable to speak English well, they | | | | deserve the same chance to learn as students who |
| are limited in the types of work they can pursue. They | | | | learned to speak English as their first language. |
| will likely be stuck in low-paying jobs with little chance | | | | |