Principal Amy Lacey Fired In Texas For Banning Spanish In School; Latino Activists Seek FBI Investigation

Freedom of speech may be a basic fundamental American right, but one middle school principal in Texas seemed to have been under the impression that freedom of type of speech is not.

Hempstead Middle School principal Amy Lacey made headlines last year for allegedly telling students in her school that they are banned from speaking Spanish. In December, Lacey reportedly went on the school-wide intercom to let students know that they are no allowed to speak Spanish on school grounds. The problem? Many students in the middle school speak Spanish as the first language and the school has a 55 percent Hispanic student body, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

“When you start banning aspects of ethnicity or cultural identity, it sends the message that the child is not wanted,” said Augstin Pinedo, director of the League of United Latin American Citizens Region 18, to the Houston Chronicle. “'We don’t want your color. We don’t want your kind.’ They tend to drop out early.”

Since the controversy, Lacey has been on paid administrative leave, and the Texas press is now reporting that she will lose her job after administrators voted Monday night not to renew her job contract.

While you would think all parents would be in support of this decision, some parents have come out in defense of the principle, citing that Spanish-speakers could use the language to ridicule fellow students.

“I support the principal,” said parent Jaime Cavender, reports KHOU. “I really believe she did the right thing. My children don’t know if they’re being talked about or being made fun of.”

But the root of the issue does not come down to students using Spanish to make fun of other students -- children can always make up code words. The issue lies in a student's right to converse however they chose to speak at school and the negative implications of Lacey's words. In fact, a 6th grade student told a local broadcaster that students are now afraid to speak Spanish.

“People don’t want to speak it [Spanish] no more and don’t want to get caught speaking it because they’ll get in trouble,” said Kiara Lozano to KHOU.

Unfortunately for the Latino community, the problem does not end there. Several crimes have been reported after the decision to put Lacey on administrative leave, according to the Houston Chronicle, which raises suspicions that Hispanics are being targeted. Just last month, three suspects were caught by a surveillance video for cutting the brake lines on three school buses.

The Chronicle reports that the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund and LULAC are calling for a civil rights investigation.