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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) --The Washington County School Board has voted 6-1 to approve a dual-immersion program for one elementary school.
Council member Laura Hesson supported the program, but cast the dissenting vote Tuesday night because of the selection of Dixie Downs Elementary School to host the program.
The program will begin next school year, starting with kindergarten and first-grade classes.
English-speaking students will learn Spanish as Spanish-speaking students learn English. The classes will be taught by bilingual teachers.
Dixie Downs will be a magnet school, meaning enrollment will be open to students from throughout the district. Students zoned for Dixie Downs who do not want to participate may attend another school.
Parent Benjamin Zarate, a native of Mexico, spoke in favor of the program. When the family moved to Utah two years ago, his son had difficulty entering kindergarten because of language problems. Zarate said that now his children will learn English "for sure."
Program critic Cynthia Birch told the board, "We're not interested in studies, theories or blanket statements," and called for hard data, specifically test scores that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the program.
Dixie Downs Principal Dale Porter, in response to parents who opposed the selection of Dixie Downs for the program, said the district could choose a more advantaged school, "but who needs it most?"
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
