LOS ANGELES — A controversy is brewing at Harvard Elementary Schoolwhere LA Unifiedcafeteria workers say they feel discriminated against after being instructed to speak only English during working hours.
According to employees at the Koreatown school, an “English only” sign was posted in the cafeteria last week, reminding employees that they could be dismissed for violating the district rule, according to the newspaper, La Opinion.
Most cafeteria workers at Harvard are native Spanish speakers, and 86 percent of students identify as Hispanic.
But district officials said today the workers misinterpreted the notice and that it only applies in narrow circumstances, specifically when food is being handled.
“It’s not that we’re telling them you can’t speak Spanish or whatever language they speak,” Monica Carazo, a district official told LA School Report. “It’s just that for safety reasons, when they’re handling food everybody has to be on the same page. If someone says, ‘Hot plate!,’ we want everyone to understand.”
Employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, told the newspaper the language ban extends to all communication on campus. One woman said workers were told they could only respond to questions from teachers or students in English, even if they were asked in Spanish.