Workforce Language Services

The US was founded by immigrants and we have a history of opening our hearts to people of immigrant backgrounds. In today’s political environment people at times forget that we are dealing with people and regardless of our political position on immigration reform, we need to embrace the people in our communities - no matter what their primary language may be. In that sense, this came as a shock to me.

One day after the Huntington School Board reinstated its high school principal, tensions continued to mount in the district with the disclosure of a series of e-mails detailing how a second principal was chastised for efforts to translate for Hispanic parents.

The e-mails, obtained by Newsday a day after another principal, Carmela Leonardi, was reinstated to Huntington High School, reveal that Jefferson Primary Principal Margaret Evers was pressed into apologizing to some parents after Back to School Night last year because they were offended by her attempt to accommodate Spanish-speaking parents by having her speech translated during the meeting.

“I have remained silent in the past and I see now that it was a mistake,” Evers told board members Thursday night, her voice cracking. “This kind of power is insatiable. After one conquest it frantically seeks another.”

She came before the school board in support of Leonardi. While she read from the e-mails when she addressed the board, Evers would not divulge the author but said it was a board member. Though the author’s name was blacked out, a source close to the situation said it was board member Richard McGrath, who is now school board president.

McGrath, the district superintendent and the six board members did not return calls.

…The e-mail attributed to McGrath said some parents were angered by her actions. He said one parent was even “convinced that you are illegally and improperly pushing Spanish on Jefferson students and parents who live in a country where English is our official language.”

Evers said she apologized.

Now she said she is adamant that the healing for the district begin.

“I just want to go back to being a principal,” Evers said. “And answering the questions I posed last night: How do we best educate the children of wealth and children of poverty? How do we build bridges to families with language barriers that exist?”

One Huntington parent who attended the meeting last fall, Arlene Robins, recalled her shock at hearing angry muttering from some other audience members in the school’s gym. Robins said the whispers began shortly after an interpreter standing at Evers’ side started translating her welcoming remarks.

“I was very surprised, because I thought it was a wonderful thing,” said Robins, a freelance writer with a son who is entering second grade. “I thought she was just trying to embrace as many people as possible. Apparently, there’s a latent racism that we’re not willing to own up to.”

Carmela Leonardi, who was reinstated at Thursday’s meeting after being demoted two weeks ago and filing a discrimination lawsuit against the district last week over the transfer, said Evers is courageous.

I know schools in my area make efforts to support Spanish speaking populations and without this, their students would be at a great disadvantage. I hope the people involved in this story can find a sense of healing and find ways to bring their community together.