Storm begins to brew

With the passing of Proposition 227, we thought the bilingual storm had blown over. However, the law's foggy, nebulous language has left teachers wrestling with its meaning - and the storm may only be growing.

Proposition 227 is vaguely worded, requiring California teachers to teach students "nearly all in English." Some school districts have translated this to mean 60 percent, while other districts have decided 70, 80 or even 90 percent of their curriculum should be taught in English.

A task force has been established by the state to evaluate the effectiveness of different programs throughout the year.

Teachers have a precarious position in the nearly-all-in-English situation: A provision of Proposition 227 states educators may be sued for willfully violating the law.

The state is putting our underpaid teachers in a sticky, unfair situation. We need to keep them focused on the enormous task they already face, keeping the classroom balanced amid English and ESL students.

Let us find a medium for teachers to work with. Something more concrete than "nearly all in English." Our educators should not have to shoot in the dark or feel like they are walking on eggshells in their own classrooms. Teachers and administrators have more important things to worry about than having their house taken away by a suit-happy parent.