Texas Middle School Principal Fired For ‘No Spanish’ Rule

Do you think everyone in this country should speak English? A Texas middle school principal did, and it cost her her job.Amy Lacey is said to have announced over the intercom at Hempstead Middle School, near Houston, that Spanish was not to be spoken anywhere on the school grounds, as to avoid “disruptions.”

This happened last November and she has been on administrative leave since December, but the school board decided this week that her contract would not be renewed. As you might imagine, in a school that, according to the Houston Chronicle, is 55% Hispanic, the edict was not met warmly. Augustin Pinedo, director of the League of United Latin American Citizens Region 18, is quoted in the Houston Chronicle: "it sends the message that the child is not wanted: 'We don't want your color. We don't want your kind.’” I don’t understand how requiring English to be spoken at an American school is controversial. It’s not telling anyone that they are not wanted, it’s telling them that they need to learn English to get ahead in this country. While we don’t have an official language, English is the de facto national language. The article points out that in much of the rest of the world it is common to speak two languages; I think one of the U.S.’s great qualities is that you can drive two thousand miles and not only still be in the same country, you’ll have people speaking the same language. So, why is this woman getting fired?