| California Department of Education Sued over Discriminatory Practices against English Learners Coalition of Parents, Student, and Civil Rights Organizations Demand Reading First Federal Grant be Used to Aid English Learners WHAT: Deborah Escobedo, attorney, Multicultural Education, Training and Advocay, Inc. (META), Laurie Olsen, president, Californians Together Coalition, , will be joined by parents and teachers at a press conference to announce the filing of a lawsuit against the California Department of Education (CDE) for illegally implementing the Reading First Federal Grant program to the detriment of English Learners in the State of California. The suit argues that the CDE, with State Board of Education approval, is illegally using underground regulations to keep otherwise entitled schools from applying for and receiving funds from the $133 million federal grant awarded to the state by the federal government. The suit claims violation of the California Administrative Procedures Act that require notification, comment and input from the public when creating regulations. According to the lawsuit, the impact of these requirements is to deny federal funds to schools and classrooms offering alternative, bilingual instructions, a violation of several state and federal civil rights laws. WHO: Deborah Escobedo, attorney for the petitioners WHEN: Thursday, March 6, 2003 WHERE: Californian Rural Legal Assistance VISUALS: Spokespeople from the petitioning organizations, attorneys representing petitioners, copies of lawsuit documents CONTACT: Deborah Escobedo |