Colorado Amendment 31, English Language Education Initiative (2002)

Colorado Amendment 31

Election date

November 5, 2002

Topic
Education and English language
Status

Defeated

Type
Initiated constitutional amendment | Origin

Citizens

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Colorado Amendment 31 was on the ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment in Colorado on November 5, 2002. It was defeated.

A “yes” vote supported requiring all public school students be taught in English, requiring students who do not speak English to be taught in an English immersion program, and requiring all students who are learning English be tested yearly on a variety of subjects.

A “no” vote opposed requiring all public school students be taught in English, requiring students who do not speak English to be taught in an English immersion program, and requiring all students who are learning English be tested yearly on a variety of subjects.

## Contents

* 1 Election results
* 2 Path to the ballot
* 3 External links
* 4 Footnotes

## Election results[edit]

Colorado Amendment 31

Result | Votes | Percentage
Yes | 608,264 | 43.78%

| 781,016 | 56.22%

Results are officially certified.
Source

## Text of measure

### Ballot title

The ballot title for Amendment 31 was as follows:

An amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning English-language education in Colorado public schools, and, in connection therewith, requiring children to be taught by using the English language in their classrooms and requiring children who are learning English to be placed in an English immersion program that is intended to last one year or less and, if successful, will result in placement of such children in ordinary classrooms; exempting from such requirements those children whose parents or legal guardians obtain annual waivers allowing the children to transfer to classes using bilingual education or other educational methodologies, but making such waivers very difficult to obtain because the school can grant them only in very restrictive circumstances and can deny them for any reason or no reason thereby reducing the likelihood that bilingual education will be used; requiring schools that grant any waivers to offer bilingual education or other educational methodologies when they have at least 20 students in the same grade who receive a waiver and in all other cases permitting students to transfer to a public school in which bilingual education or other methodologies are offered, with the cost of such transfer, excluding transportation, to be provided by the state; allowing a parent or legal guardian to sue public employees granting a waiver if the parent or guardian later concludes that the waiver was granted in error and injured the child's education; creating severe legal consequences identified in the amendment for such public employees who willfully and repeatedly refuse to implement the amendment; and requiring schools to test children learning English, enrolled in second grade or higher, to monitor their progress, using a standardized nationally-normed test of academic subject matter given in English.

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### Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

## Path to the ballot[edit]

See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in Colorado

In Colorado, proponents needed to collect a number of signatures for an initiated constitutional amendment.

## See also

2002 Measures

* 2002 Measures
* Education on the ballot
* English language on the ballot
* 2002 legislative sessions

Colorado

* Colorado ballot measures
* Colorado ballot measure laws

News and analysis

* Ballot measure lawsuits
* Ballot measure readability
* Ballot measure polls

## External links[edit]

* Colorado Blue Book (2002)

## Footnotes[edit]

v • e

2002 ballot measures

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v • e

State of Colorado
Denver (capital)

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