In 1990 a law suit was brought between the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Farm workers' Association of Central Florida, Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches, Haitian Refugee Center, Spanish American League against Discrimination (SALAD), American Hispanic Educator's Association of Dade (AHEAD) and Haitian Educator's Association vs. Florida Board of Education.

The final outcome was in the form of the Consent Decree that has been in effect since 1990. This decree includes the use of native language support to facilitate instruction in elementary and secondary schools. This helps ensure maintenance of academic achievement while the student is learning English. You may view the settlement agreement at the following link: http://www.firn.edu/doe/omsle/lulac.htm.

In April of 2003, a Stipulation Modifying Consent Decree was approved. This modification stipulates the means by which a certified teacher may obtain ESOL subject area coverage. It also establishes training and/or educational requirements for persons holding administration and guidance counselor positions. The link to the stipulation may be found at http://www.firn.edu/doe/omsle/pdf/stipulation.pdf.

Acronyms to Understand

OMSLE - Office of Multicultural Student Language Education - Department of Education
ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages
LEP - Limited English Proficiency
NES - Non English Speaking
LES - Limited English Speaking
FES - Fluent English Speaking

Purpose of the JES ESOL Program

The purpose and goal of the JES ESOL program is to ensure that students can communicate orally and in writing (English), and to provide students with comprehensive and comprehensible instruction by qualified staff. Student proficiency should be commensurate with experiential and educational levels, age, and interests. This will be accomplished with the support which is designed to enable students with limited English proficiency to communicate and function successfully in their English-speaking environment.
 

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