Question: Is It Right For The PTO Meetings To Be Held Only In Spanish?

I Want To Know What Is The Rules Of Being An Officer? My PTO Officers All Speak Only Spanish With The Exception Of 1. I Only Understand A Little Spanish And All They Do Is Complain About The Support They Receive. The School Is Bilingual But They Teach English For The Students To Learn. I Myself Along With Other Parents And Teachers Feel This Is Offending. The President And Vice President Only Speak Spanish. Right Now The Majority Of The Parents That Attend The Meetings Only Speak Spanish And I Feel It Is This Way Because Nobody Can Support If They Can't Understand. When Things Are Being Sold After School It Seems As It Is Ran By A Certain Few. I Have Never Been Called To Help And My Name Was At The Top Of The List With My Information. I Am No Way Racist Because I Am Married To A Spanish Speaker. My Husband And Sister In Law Completely Agree That It Is Unfair. What Can I And The Others Do About This Problem??

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
We talked with some folks who are in a similar situation and they agreed -- it's a tough one. It's certainly a switch from the more typical problem of how to include non-English speakers. The approach is probably more or less the same, though. You really need a translator to help facilitate. Is there a bilingual parent who can help? We talked to one PTO leader who said the principal does a lot of the translation at her meetings. If you can get a person or two to fill this role, it will go a long way to bringing your group together. It sounds like part of your challenge may be to convince the other parent group leaders that your group will be stronger if it's open to everybody, not just people who speak Spanish. Good luck!