Based on their reading of state education code and the new law, attorneys for the state Department of Education said the campuses also are exempt from Proposition 227, which requires public schools to replace bilingual education programs with English immersion. Proposition 227 author Ron Unz said he would not challenge the state's decision, largely because it covers so few campuses. But the exemption of charter schools from the initiative could have broad impact in coming years, when hundreds more are expected to open under new legislation designed to expand the charter school movement. Unz said bilingual education advocates could seek charter petitions to skirt the initiative. Since passage of Proposition 227 by voters last month, public schools across California have been nervously crafting plans to satisfy the new anti-bilingual initiative for the coming school year.
Educators are uncertain, for example, how much Spanish can be spoken during classroom instruction.
The Los Angeles Unified School District is offering different versions of English immersion. Parents can ask, for example, that their children be taught in English with the help of bilingual aides or teachers. Parents also can seek waivers for their children to learn in their primary language. Educators at several of the 15 charter schools in the Los Angeles district said they are still weighing their options. The leaders of a South Los Angeles charter school that includes kindergarten through 7th grade said they want to preserve bilingual education, as long as parents agree.