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Home > 2006 > August > Friday, August 11 2006 > School district to Latinos: get out of the picture

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Fri11Aug2006

School district to Latinos: get out of the picture

18:45 H | Topics: Children - Controversia - Education - Texas

nomorelatinos.jpgLatino parents are outraged at a Dallas public school's attempt to limit how many Latino children were pictured in a brochure as part of their plan to attract whites to the institution. As if that weren't enough, the parents are also accusing the school of employing racial segregation tactics, like keeping fluent English-speaking Latino children in ESL classes:

Latino parents at mostly Hispanic Preston Hollow Elementary School filed a federal lawsuit against principal Teresa Parker and the Dallas Independent School District in April. The suit alleges that Hispanic and black students were kept in English as a Second Language classes even when they tested out and that multiage courses with almost all white students were created.

"The defendants have crossed the line in this case with their attempts to segregate white children into separate classes, with their attempts to attract white students and ultimately with their attempts to halt white flight in violation of the law," David Hinojosa, a lawyer with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said in opening arguments before a federal judge.
Evidence for the charge that school officials deliberately kept Latino students "out of the picture" for the brochure was found in an email sent by the PTA president, discussing the target audience for the piece: rich residents of a nearby neighborhood. In addition, one parent claims that while her 6 year old received the highest score in her class in English, she was relegated to an all Latino/Black ESL class.

Via / Fox News

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Feedback (2) » Share your opinion

1. Maegan la Mala ~ Monday, Aug 14 2006 | 07:43H:

This is happening all over the country and people are not picking up on it. Latino and other children of color are being tracked not based on their ability but based on the color of their skin and their last names. It happened to my daughter her first year in public school - of course they didn't realize who her mami was

2. CoverPoint ~ Sunday, Nov 26 2006 | 08:54H:

What will happen next? It is now about money.
DISD will be forced to retire the principal, Teresa Parker.
The original plaintiffs and their legal counsel MALDEF will rebuff any and all changes made to the classroom makeup at Preston Hollow. Why you ask? Simple, Judge Lindsay did not find DISD guilty. Judge Lindsay only awarded actual and punitive damages to plaintiff Santamaria. OFE and its President, Ana Gonzalez recieved no monetary compensation. MALDEF did not get their fees paid by the loser as customary in federal cases. Each side is liable for their own cost of litigation. Guess what? MALDEF is pissed off. No big pay day. MALDEF and the plaintiffs will be back, no doubt claiming that Teresa Parker and DISD are in violation of Judge Lindsay's order on January 18th, the day after the deadline. This time MALDEF will argue for additional sanctions, monetary damages, and attorney fees. So the court room battle for Preston Hollow will continue.
And who are the real winners and losers? There are no winners, only the kids are the losers. None, not the Latinos, Blacks, Asians, and Anglos.

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