Lapse into Spanish earns suspension, then apology

Most of the time, 16-year-old Zach Rubio converses in clear, unaccented American teen-speak, a form of English in which the three most common words are ''like,'' ''whatever'' and ''totally.'' But Zach is also fluent in his dad's native language, Spanish -- and that's what got him suspended from school.

''It was, like, totally not in the classroom,'' the high school junior said, recalling the infraction. ``We were in the, like, hall or whatever, on restroom break. This kid I know, he's like, `¿Me prestas un dólar?' <`Will you lend me a dollar?'>. Well, he asked in Spanish; it just seemed natural to answer that way. So I'm like, `No problema.' ''

But that conversation turned out to be a big problem at the Endeavor Alternative School, a small public high school in an ethnically mixed blue-collar neighborhood. A teacher who overheard the two boys sent Zach to the office, where Principal Jennifer Watts ordered him to call his father and leave the school.

Watts, whom students describe as a disciplinarian, said she can't discuss the case. But in a written ''discipline referral'' explaining her decision to suspend Zach for 1 ½ days, she noted: ``This is not the first time we have Zach and others to not speak Spanish at school.''



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