Much like San Diego Unified, Sweetwater Union High School District is now weighing a policy that would encourage students to become fluent in more than one language.
It states that the superintendent will recommend that world languages be taught based on student interest, community need and available resources. And it adds that the superintendent “shall also consider providing English learners the opportunity to study their heritage language,” potentially through dual immersion programs that split the day between two languages.
San Diego Unified approved a similar policy earlier this month, with little public protest from parents. Though legal, the rule is philosophically at odds with a state law that curbs bilingual education, allowing it only if parents sign waivers permitting their children to be taught in a language other than English.
The policy is up for a vote by the Sweetwater school board on Monday.