Seminole County School Workers Ordered to Speak Inglés Only
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When Carolina Jurado moved to the United States from Panama several years ago, she knew English would become a part of her daily life.
But she never thought she would be forbidden to speak her native Spanish.
Jurado had worked for a year at Crystal Lake Elementary School in Lake Mary before a supervisor ordered her and fellow Hispanics on the cafeteria staff in September to stop speaking their native language on the job.
From then on, it would be English-only in the kitchen, based on a Seminole County school-district workplace policy that applied only to kitchen workers.
They could speak Spanish only when taking breaks or to help a Spanish-speaking customer.
Jurado’s supervisor presented her with a piece of paper with the rule typed across the page and a space for her signature below.
She refused to sign it.
Instead, Jurado quit the job and, at the prompting of a friend, turned to the National Latino Officers Association of America for help.
Last month, the association—an advocacy group for Hispanics—filed a complaint with the school district, calling the rule “unlawful and discriminatory.”
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Seminole County is the only school district in Central Florida with an English-only policy, though none of the employees who complained was made aware of the rule until last fall.
Ned Julian, the district’s legal counsel, said the policy was created more than 10 years ago to avoid mishaps in the “very dangerous” workplace.
{snip}
‘The common language’
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Jurado, 28, and several Spanish-speaking colleagues in the kitchen were shocked to be told they could speak their language only on breaks. They spoke English to non-Spanish speakers and to the children, teachers and administrators they served in the cafeteria, they said.
{snip}
‘Spirit of the law’
The National Council for La Raza in Washington, the largest Hispanic civil-rights and advocacy organization in the United States, often hears of complaints about language policies similar to the one in Seminole County.
{snip}
However, the employer can put the rule in place if it is necessary to run a business but cannot mandate any language be spoken during a break or lunch.
{snip}
Matter of principle
Jurado is one of three Seminole kitchen workers who asked the National Latino Officers Association to intervene and file a complaint on their behalf.
{snip}
Quitting her job made life more difficult for Jurado, whose husband is now the only wage earner in the family. The couple have two young children, including a disabled son.
But she said her opposition to the English-only policy was a matter of principle.
“We work for everything we have,” Jurado said. “Why should this have cost us our jobs?”
Email Bianca Prieto at bprieto@orlandosentinel.com.
(Posted on May 5, 2008)
Comments
But she said her opposition to the English-only policy was a matter of principle. Then go back home.
Posted by at 7:38 PM on May 5
Perfect example as to why we need a federal law designating the US as an English speaking nation.
Posted by at 7:54 PM on May 5
“We work for everything we have,” Jurado said. “Why should this have cost us our jobs?”
Is she too stupid to realize she voluntarily quit?
Posted by at 8:31 PM on May 5
Did I miss something here? She lost her job? I thought she quit. They have two young children and a disabled son, and she quit her job? Not too bright, or maybe she’s learning how to manipulate the system. Hmmm.
Posted by at 11:44 PM on May 5
“We work for everything we have,” Jurado said. “Why should this have cost us our jobs?”
Cost us our jobs? She consciously QUIT her job rather than speaking English because she is too ARROGANT to show one ounce of respect to the United States and the American people by not speaking Spanish. It is absolutely amazing how the Hispanics come to the United States and want EVERY benefit of this country but yet they still want to maintain their language and culture here. Of course, to oppose the Latinization of the US it’s “discriminatory” and “racist.” If Spanish is so important to her then perhaps she and every other Raza should go back to their OWN countries?
Posted by blaize27 at 4:00 AM on May 6
Cry me a river Carolina.
I applaud the county school administrators for making “English Only” the policy for all those who work at that school but the larger problem remains: where you have substantial numbers of non-European immigrants, you eventually have non-European societies. What Ms. Jurado did (and the fact that her move was reported in the media) is all too telling of the current depressing state of affairs - she went and complained to La Raza……and they were able to file suit….when they should be on the terrorist watch list and Ms. Jurado should be told to either suck it up at work or ship out….of this country that is.
What is almost laughable is the pathological nature of so many Hispanics - not so much the old So Cal or Tex Mex variety who’ve been here generations, but the current crop from the ’90s to present. Particularly noticable in this regard is their view toward their language. Notwithstanding the illogical nature of their attachment to Spanish - itself a European language - alongside their resentment and hatred of English as the language of the “oppressive” “Anglo” culture, it becomes even more ridiculous when you consider others from more distant lingustic backgrounds from English learning our tongue without complaint.
An Australian friend of mine married a younger Laotian woman who is learning English well as she associates almost exclusively with white Australians and Americans - her husband has rightly been quite keen to make sure she acculturates around, and gains a sense of identification with, and loyalty to, the white majority of those countries and not any expatriate Lao.
Despite this, it must have been very difficult to learn English, a language so far removed from her native tongue. Yet she is doing just that. If she can go from Lao-speaking background to learning English without a murmur of protest why do Hispanics feel so put-upon having to *gasp* go from one European language to another? Better question: why do we allow them to feel put-upon and toady to their every ethnic demand? When will we have had enough of doing that? I hope that time will come soon.
Posted by at 5:10 AM on May 6
Jurado “said her opposition to the English-only policy was a matter of principle.”
Yes, this IS a matter of principle. It’s also a matter of whose principles are foremost in this country — those of Panama or those of the United States.
Posted by Sarge at 9:43 AM on May 6
That’s right, stay stupid, lady. That will show those gringos! Of course, learning and speaking the language of the country greatly improves your earning power, but that’s just a small, annoying detail when it comes to Tamale Pride. Besides, there’s always welfare when your job opportunities shrink.
You just can’t fix stupid, folks.
Posted by Proactive at 10:29 AM on May 6