Grand Jury on 227

Thanks to Ron Unz and Alice Callaghan, initiators of Prop. 227, we were given sound-bite pedagogy and program design for language minority students by popular opinion. Now the passage of 227, with its provision for liability lawsuits against school administrators and teachers, has opened the way to education reform by grand jury (“L.A. Schools Are Abusing Prop. 227, Report Says,” July 1). Now that this body of 23 volunteer citizens has used the law to rattle its sabers at LAUSD’s bilingual teachers assigned to Model B, the district might as well hang a sign outside the personnel office that says, “Bilingual teachers need not apply.”

Our public schools belong to all of us. We must not allow public education to be held hostage by narrow and extreme interests that undermine the greater good of our society. Allow educators and parents working together to decide how 70% of L.A.’s children should be educated.

JILL KERPER MORA

Asst. Prof., Teacher Education

San Diego State University