Businesses that show no English signage at all have come under fire. Parental Oversight A bill that passed the City Council last month, called the Education Equity Act, has brought these two sides into new conflict. The bill creates framework for schools to provide language assistance in the eight most popular languages to parents of their students, including offering translation services at teacher conferences and PTA meetings. Up to half the parents with children in the public school system have trouble understanding English, said Jose Devila, education reform coordination at the New York Immigration Coalition. In a 2001 study co-authored by the New York Immigration Coalition, 94 percent of teachers surveyed said they needed support services to communicate with parents, and 70 percent cited language as a significant barrier in dealing with parents. Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), whose parents spoke little English during his own education, said enabling parents to participate in their children’s education should be a priority for the city’s school system. The DOE already invests millions in developing parent-teacher relationships, and language services should become part of that budget, he said. “If we think we don’t need parental involvement, then we don’t need to do this, but a great deal is being invested, and this needs to be part of the equation as well,” Liu said. That funding, which could exceed $40 million over two years, would be better used in English as Second Language programs or inside the classrooms themselves, Gallagher said. He said he thinks this legislation could set a dangerous precedent: If student report cards are translated, why not tax forms, building permits or street signs? The cost could become astronomical, he said. Gabriel Tapalaga, a lawyer in Middle Village, elaborated on that point, arguing that bill does not help Ukrainians, Romanians or any one of 100 different ethnicities not listed in the legislation. Citing statistics from the City Council, Tapalaga said the vast majority of the student population and their families still speak English, even if it’s not their primary language. “We are opening up a can of worms,” Tapalga said. “Fiscally, it’s taking the city in a direction that could be devastating, and I just don’t see it being warranted.” The bill originally passed the City Council 35-11, with 5 abstentions, a particularly close vote by council standards, officials said. Opponents are only missing one vote to stop an override of a mayoral veto, and some suspect they could get it. City Hall spokesman Jordan Barowitz said Mayor Michael Bloomberg considers the bill illegal because it infringes on his authority to administer the DOE. He has not yet decided to veto the bill, but may be leaning toward it, Barowitz said. It could be a lose-lose situation for Bloomberg, who in the past has drawn political support from immigrant groups. New York Immigration Coalition plans to hold a protest Thursday pressuring the Mayor to sign the bill. Tapalaga said he’s considering suing if he does. The Writing’s on the Wall There have also been legislative initiatives to force immigrant groups to become more inclusive with the English speaking population. In Albany last week, Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin (D-Flushing) introduced a bill that hopes to increase enforcement of a statute requiring all business to display their name and address in English. State Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) sponsored a companion bill, which allows the Department of Consumer affairs to issue tickets for the infraction. Previously, it had been the responsibility of police to enforce the law, but they had little interest in following through, Padavan said. Universal signage, in this case English, is important to allow firemen and police to find locations quickly in case of emergency, Padavan said. Consumers also will be able to identify stores that have poor business practices and report them, he said. “How can you complain if you don’t know the name of the store?” Padavan said. The bill’s intent appears to be a new attack on an old subject, which was raised in 2002 when a Flushing billboard that contained no English at all dominated the sky. A survey of stores in Flushing showed the majority did have written or graphic representations to explain the business, but some lacked English entirely. In response, Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) drafted legislation to mandate English signage. Though it has not been adopted, the issue has lingered. The new bills before the state Legislature specifically seek to supersede any potential city action, while keeping the intent of local legislation. McLaughlin, a perennial diplomat among his diverse district, called his bill, “more procedural than substantive.”

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