Allegiance to English

Timing is everything. And though the thinking was noble, this is not the time to have students at Sandy Elementary recite the Pledge of Allegiance in both English and Spanish. School officials hoped to strike a blow for diversity. Instead, they fanned flames of frustration over the immigration issue.

The school made the right choice in the end and canceled the reciting of the Pledge in Spanish.

Dual renditions of the Pledge are not unheard of. Florida and North Carolina gave the idea a go, but had to back off. New Jersey still has the Spanish Pledge on its Web site.

The impulse was a good one for Sandy Elementary. They wanted to celebrate the diverse nature of the school's students, get in a little language learning and show that everyone is welcome. The problem is, for people who hold strong opinions about illegal immigrants English has become the last milepost of patriotism — the place they draw the line. "English only" is where they make their stand.

The school was not trying to be political, but inadvertently landed squarely in the political arena. It wisely got out.

As a second language becomes more ingrained in a nation, pride and acceptance can emerge. In Quebec, for example, the Canadian National Anthem is often sung in English, then repeated in French. No one complains. French has become part of the fabric of the nation.

Spanish never will eclipse English in this country. Utah and many other states have made English the official language of the government. Immigrants from any other land quickly understand they must learn English to get along here. Perhaps, however, Spanish will become a bigger part of the American fabric in the future. For now, however, the language is too quickly associated in the minds of many Americans with controversy and subversion.

Sandy was thinking outside the box and showing imagination and civility. The time may one day come for such things again in regards to Spanish. If so, we have no doubt the folks at Sandy Elementary will be showing the way.

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