Student suspended for refusing ESL exam

A high school student from Storm Lake High School has been suspended for refusing an English Secondary Language exam that she believes to be racist.

Phanachone, who was born in California and lived in upstate New York before moving to Storm Lake with her family in 2006, said she has never been enrolled in any English Language Learning or English as a Second Language program.

“Someone told me I should have put English as my first language when I registered for school,” Phanachone said. “But I refused. I will not deny who I am. And I will not disrespect my culture or my mother.”

Smart girl. Stupid high school administration.

Phanachone said school administrators have told her her college scholarships — $86,000 at Buena Vista University and more at Iowa State University, if that is her choice — would disappear. “That’s a lot of money. I worked for that. Nothing has been handed to me. I earned it.”

Reminds me of how much school administrations would play into student fears and use bully tactics like that to get what they want. Nothing is going to scare a kid more than taking away their hard earned scholarship. This is just bad press and a bad look in general. She needs to get the fuck out of Iowa.