A recent attempt by Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne to bar English learners from dual language programs has been blocked by Attorney General Kris Mayes.
Mayes said in a legal opinion that Horne does not have the authority to withhold funding from schools that offer dual language programs approved by the State Board of Education.
“The Superintendent’s and the Department’s role in implementing the ELL (English language learners) Statutes is limited to monitoring and referring school districts and charter schools to the Board for a finding of noncompliance,” Mayes wrote. “The ELL Statutes do not authorize the Superintendent or the Department to withhold ELL funding.”
After Mayes released her opinion, the State Board of Education confirmed that they wouldn’t take any action against schools that offer dual language programs, as first reported by the Arizona Mirror. The Board also clarified that their models for these programs would not be modified or eliminated.
This means that English learners can still enroll in dual language programs, which provide academic instruction in two languages. Students in dual language programs spend half the day in a classroom taught in English and the other half in a classroom taught in another language, most commonly Spanish.
Proponents of dual language programs say that they have many benefits, including helping students become bilingual and bi-literate, which can give them a competitive advantage in the job market later in life.
Dual language programs are growing in popularity in Arizona, and there are now about 93,000 students in the state who are classified as English learners.
CONTINUE READING: Top Arizona Education Official Wants to Segregate Non-English Speaking Students in Schools
Author
Support Our Cause
Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Arizonans and our future.
Since day one, our goal here at The Copper Courier has always been to empower people across the state with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Arizona families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.
He said what? 10 things to know about RFK Jr.
The Kennedy family has long been considered “Democratic royalty.” But Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—son of Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated while...
Here’s everything you need to know about this month’s Mercury retrograde
Does everything in your life feel a little more chaotic than usual? Or do you feel like misunderstandings are cropping up more frequently than they...
Arizona expects to be back at the center of election attacks. Its officials are going on offense
Republican Richer and Democrat Fontes are taking more aggressive steps than ever to rebuild trust with voters, knock down disinformation, and...
George Santos’ former treasurer running attack ads in Arizona with Dem-sounding PAC name
An unregistered, Republican-run political action committee from Texas with a deceptively Democratic name and ties to disgraced US Rep. George Santos...
