Bill To Ease Mandate For Bilingual Education Under Attack in Conn.

Hispanic activists in Connecticut are fighting a proposal by Gov. John G. Rowland to eliminate the state's mandate that schools provide eligible students with bilingual education.

Under current state law, a school must provide a bilingual program if it enrolls more than 20 students with limited proficiency in English who speak the same native language.

When the governor unveiled his budget last month, he proposed giving schools more flexibility in serving students with limited English. The new bill, based on his proposal, would allow districts to provide eligible students with "language assistance" that could include a bilingual program,...