Dorchester State Rep. Marie St. Fleur was working late in her State House office on Monday night. The Dorchester legislator was sending out handwritten notes to her colleagues in the House, thanking them for their support in overturning a gubernatorial veto of a portion of the so-called immersion law.

"I support immersion, I absolutely do support immersion," the Haiti-born St. Fleur said. "I don't support transitional bilingual assistance at all. Do what happened to me: Mainstream me, put me right in there with my English-speaking friends. But if a child is having difficulty, somebody should help them. Give them some assistance with English, give that child ESL, tutoring or whatever they need."

On Monday, her legislative colleagues overrode a veto by Bain and Company's Mitt Romney and modified the law to allow so-called two-way programs for kindergarten children. Currently, St. Fleur says, only about 2000 children statewide are in such programs.

"It allows the children to be immersed in two languages, English and a second language. It is proven that it works," she said. "It allows 100 percent of the kids to be bilingual."

Romney vowed this week to mount political opponents to legislators who voted in favor of the override and it was a threat which many legislators took seriously.

"I am really disappointed this governor would choose to be involved in the politics of polarization," St. Fleur says. "It took a lot of courage to vote for the override and I am proud of my colleagues."

-Ed Forry

Legislature Clarifies Bilingual Reform Measures

According to Rep. St. Fleur's office, here is what the Legislature's override did and did not do this week:

•The Legislature did not make major changes to the Unz petition, Question 2.

• The Legislature adopted clarifying amendments that would not change the intent of the legislation.

•SECTION 209 allows kindergarten English language learners to be educated in either sheltered English immersion or English language mainstreamed classes with support in English language acquisition. Question 2 as adopted would force students into segregated classrooms for one year with other students speaking a variety of languages other than English. Only the teacher would know how to speak English. This section would, instead, allow these kindergarten youngsters the option of being educated in regular education classes with their English speaking peers. In this way, they could learn the language by speaking it with native English speakers. At this young age, learning a second language is much easier than it would be for older students.

• SECTION 210. Currently the Unz petition allows children 10 years of age or older to waive into two-way/immersion bilingual programs. This section allows students of any age to take part in two-way/immersion bilingual programs.

• SECTION 212 includes language from the Bilingual Education Reform Law approved by the Legislature last summer which requires districts to teach English learners to the same academic standards and curriculum frameworks as all other students. This accountability language was stricken by Question 2. It is crucial to student success that this accountability language be reinstated. It would also require school districts to issue report cards and progress reports that grade English acquisition for English language learners.