Thread: Charlotte: Pledge of Allegiance Spoken in Spanish

The illegals want us to speak Spanish because once the invasion is complete
They intend to make it our national language kid your self not. The same people that call me a racists will find them self’s in a land that they surrendered and begged to give up.

cms@cms.k12.nc.us is the email if you want to write a letter.

The phone number is 980-343-6759 if you want to call.

http://link.toolbot.com/charlotte.com/59375

Posted on Sun, Feb. 04, 2007

FLAG OATH SAID IN SPANISH LAST WEEK
Gorman: Recite pledge in English
New guideline meant for graduations,
CMS events, not classroomsMARK PRICE
msprice@charlotteobserver.com
Peter Gorman

After days of public debate over the appropriateness of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg student saying the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish, Superintendent Peter Gorman has decided it will be recited only in English at graduations and other districtwide events.

"Upon further reflection, we believe that as a symbol of American democracy and as a pledge of loyalty to our nation, the pledge should be recited in English only from here on out," Gorman said in a statement.

The decision was based in part on his opinion that the controversy was distracting attention from the goal of teaching children, he told the Observer on Saturday. He said he will clarify his stance in a meeting with principals later this month, and will assure them that Spanish and other languages remain welcome in their classrooms.

"I'm not telling individual classrooms, dual-language programs and foreign language schools that they can't use certain tools for instruction," Gorman said.

Instead, the guideline -- which does not need school board approval -- will apply to events such as graduations, board meetings, student achievement celebrations and teacher award programs.

"We are a district of multiple languages and multiple cultures and we expect to honor that," Gorman said. "Can we not say the pledge in English and then welcome everyone to the event in other languages? ...We end up walking a line of how to meet the needs of the entire community, and that includes choosing the moment to use a foreign language."

The controversy began Monday at the CMS midyear graduation. Nineteen-year-old Jose Velasquez, an immigrant from El Salvador who was graduating from Garinger High, agreed to a school staff request that he recite the pledge in English and Spanish.

Some did not approve, including Tom Davis, a parent leader at North Mecklenburg High who felt it was a divisive gesture. Davis, who did not attend the graduation, said Saturday he was happy with Gorman's decision.

"It's the right thing and I think the silent majority will be pleased with what he did," said Davis. "My concern all along was to maintain unity in our community and this was divisive. We've got to pull together. ... As far as I'm concerned, this is over with."

Still, in a district where 14 percent of students are Hispanic, some in the Latino community lament the new guideline's potential to alienate people who are struggling to master English.

"To recite the pledge (in Spanish) in an educational way to those who don't yet speak English is good," said Maudia Melendez, head of Jesus Ministry, a local advocacy group for the Latino community.

"We should not be afraid of it or panicked by it. The pledge is a symbol of America and to not say it in Spanish is to have people not understand its meaning."

CMS has received more than 100 e-mails and phone calls from up and down the East Coast about the controversy, with feedback ranging from thoughtful to hateful, said CMS spokeswoman Nora Carr. It has become clear that the story of what happened has changed as it has spread, she said.

"I've heard myths that the audience was visibly upset. ... I've heard myths that some chose not to stand during the pledge (in Spanish), as if there was a planned protest or sign of disrespect.... And I've heard that the student chose to arbitrarily not say the pledge in English and that's simply not true."

For his part, Velasquez has said he did not intend to defy or divide. "This is America," he told the Observer last week. "I respect that."