State education board approves rules for English-only instruction ASSOCIATED PRESS May 31, 2002 SACRAMENTO – The State Board of Education approved new rules mandated by Proposition 227, a voter-approved initiative that requires most English-learning students to be taught in English. Yesterday's vote marked a victory for proponents of Proposition 227 who threatened to sue the board, saying initial proposed regulations would have undermined the measure. Proposition 227, approved by California voters in 1998, abolished most bilingual education programs and replaced them with English-only courses for students who speak little or no English. The measure was approved by 61 percent of the voters, but only 37 percent of Hispanic voters supported it. Roughly 25 percent of California's 6 million public school students do not speak English fluently. At the heart of the argument over the regulations was the parent's right to apply for a waiver that would allow his or her child to be transferred to bilingual education classes that teach students in both English and their native languages.     [ Continue.......... ]