A school with an English-only policy agrees with California

A Fontana preschool that instituted an English-only policy for its employees has settled for $200,000 in California after an assistant teacher said management retaliated against her for speaking Spanish. The money can be shared between former and current employees affected by the policy.

The issue started with the pen, the California Division of Civil Rights reported in a news release on Thursday. The state watchdog investigates claims of abuse by employers and has filed lawsuits against Teslavideo game giant Activision BlizzardMicrosoft and the Ralphs supermarket chain.

In 2023, a state agency opened an investigation into Leaps and Bounds, a private preschool and elementary school in Escondido, La Puente and Fontana.

The school employee claimed that her hours were drastically cut and that she felt discriminated against because of her cultural background. After someone overheard an employee speaking Spanish — they asked a colleague for a pen — the school implemented an English-only policy at work, the Department of Civil Rights said. The person alleged that the workers gossiped in Spanish, so management responded by requiring the workers to sign an agreement that prohibited them from speaking Spanish at work unless they needed to communicate with parents who did not speak English, according to the settlement agreement.

“Educators deserve to feel honored for their heritage, but instead the alleged language ban on Leaps and Bounds has fostered a hostile work culture that has made staff feel undervalued and unwelcome,” Kevin Kish, director of the California Department of Civil Rights, said in a statement.

California civil rights laws prohibit employers from discriminating against their employees on the basis of national origin, race or ethnic origin, according to the Department of Civil Rights.

The employee who filed the complaint was able to mediate with the government agency and his employer. Leaps and Bounds has agreed to end its English-only policy and train its staff on California civil rights laws.

Leaps and Bounds did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A representative for the California Department of Civil Rights could not be reached for additional information on this case. The settlement funds a $35,000 award to the employee who filed the complaint and covers costs to notify current and former employees who may be eligible for the money.