On the flip side of this issue – does anyone know what the rule currently is about teachers using Spanish in the San Diego public schools? My former neighbor was a kindergarten/1st grade teacher who had a large number of students who spoke Spanish at home and for whom English was definitely a second language. Although Spanish is my neighbor’s first language, she also speaks English (perfect grammar, no accent). She told me that she was prohibited from using Spanish at all with the children, even if it was for the purpose of helping them learn English. She was required to speak to them only in English, whether or not they understood. I would have thought that she would have been the perfect resource to help these kids become fluent in English.

Does anyone know if this is still the policy and what the reason is for such a policy?