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                                ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 3516

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

 

By Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators Bauer, Gaspard, Benitz, Moore, Bender, Rinehart, Lee and Johnson; by Temporary Committee on Educational Policies request)

 

 

Read first time 3/8/85.

 

 


AN ACT Relating to instruction in foreign languages; amending RCW 28A.67.020; and creating new sections.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.     The legislature recognizes that it is important for the students and future citizens of our state to develop an awareness and sensitivity to other cultures and have an opportunity to become fluent in a foreign language, particularly the cultures and languages of Pacific Rim countries and Latin American countries.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.     The superintendent of public instruction may grant funds to five selected school districts to conduct a foreign language pilot program in Spanish or Japanese in one elementary school within each of the selected districts.  The pilot program shall be conducted during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 school years in grades one through six.  The superintendent of public instruction in selecting five school districts for participation in the pilot program shall select five diverse school districts  at least two of which shall teach Spanish and two of which shall teach Japanese.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.     The superintendent of public instruction shall establish a procedure for accepting applications from districts wishing to participate in the foreign language pilot program and establish criteria for selecting districts to receive funding.  In selecting districts to participate, the superintendent shall consider the following factors:

          (1) The availability of existing district  resources for the foreign language pilot project including certificated teachers already employed by the district as instructors or consultants;

          (2) The availability of volunteers, who are native speakers of the language, as instructors;

          (3) Use of secondary school and foreign language students as tutors or aides; and

          (4) Diversity in the format of the pilot projects to assure that various methods of instruction will be able to be evaluated.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.     The superintendent of public instruction shall evaluate the effectiveness of the foreign language pilot program and report to the legislature on the program and its effectiveness in January, 1988.

 

        Sec. 5.  Section 28A.67.020, chapter 223, Laws of 1969 ex. sess. as amended by section 1, chapter 340, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. and RCW 28A.67.020 are each amended to read as follows:

          No person, who is not a citizen of the United States of America, shall be permitted to teach in the common schools in this state:  PROVIDED, That the superintendent of public instruction may grant to an alien a permit to teach in the common schools of this state if such teacher has all the other qualifications required by law, and has declared his intention of becoming a citizen of the United States of America:  PROVIDED FURTHER, That after a one year probationary period the superintendent of public instruction, at the request of the school district which employed such teacher on a permit, may grant to an alien whose qualifications have been approved by the state board of education a standard certificate to teach in the common schools of this state:  PROVIDED FURTHER, That the superintendent of public instruction may grant to a nonimmigrant alien whose qualifications have been approved by the state board of education a one-year temporary permit which is renewable only once for no more than one year to teach ((as an exchange teacher)) in the common schools of this state.

          Before such alien shall be granted a temporary permit he shall be required to subscribe to an oath or affirmation in writing as follows:  I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution and laws of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the state of Washington; that I do not advocate the overthrow, destruction, or alteration of the constitutional form of government of the United States or of the state of Washington or any political subdivision of either of them.  All oaths or affirmations subscribed as herein provided shall be filed in the office of the superintendent of public instruction and shall be there retained for a period of five years.  Such permits shall at all times be subject to revocation by the superintendent of public instruction.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6.     Implementation of Sections 1 through 4 of this act shall be subject to funds being appropriated or available for the purpose or purposes in this act and any program or programs which may be implemented pursuant to this act shall not be interpreted as part of the state's responsibility of basic education.