Statement from the Catholic Diocese of Wichita

Press Release

Catholic Diocese of Wichita

August 15th, 2008

U.S. District Judge Thomas Marten today announced that the rule put in place at St. Anne Catholic School requiring students to speak English during school did not create a hostile educational environment for the three Hispanic students who had filed suit against the school and the Catholic Diocese of Wichita.

In his decision, Judge Marten also dismissed the plaintiffs' claim that the rule was discriminatory.

Problems at the school arose in the fall of 2007 when the students, whose first or primary language is English, began speaking in Spanish to make derogatory comments about teachers, school administrators and fellow students, and to separate themselves from other students. Both actions violated school policies.

To address the behavioral issues, school officials put a rule in place requiring English to be spoken at school at all times. "This case was about a teacher's or administrator's right to discipline students in a private Catholic school," said Father Thomas Leland, St. Anne pastor.

"There must be unity and discipline for learning and (spiritual) formation to take place," Fr. Leland said. "The unifying element in this case was the English language, because it's the common denominator among the students, teachers and administrators.

"This issue has been divisive and hurtful to our parish community, and in that regard, there are no winners," Fr. Leland said. "We want to move forward and continue educating our students and helping them develop spiritually and personally, so they can be successful, contributing members of our community of faith and the greater community as well."

St. Anne Parish and Catholic School have a long history of embracing diversity, dating back to the 1960s when the first Asian immigrants began arriving. Today, St. Anne Catholic School has about 35 percent Hispanic, 54 percent Caucasian, 10 percent Asian, and .05 percent African American and Native American students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade.
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