Bilingual education is a sticky subject.
It has overtones of racism and prejudice and is intertwined with such complicated issues as the economy and civil rights. That is why my neighbor, a Mexican-American who worked for several years as a bilingual aide, asked that I not use her name. They couldn't speak a word of English. And they were treated differently. The West Valley has a large Hispanic population, with extensive bilingual education programs in several West Valley school districts.