This petition was written by Jo Beckwith, a member of the Gurnee Grade School Parent Advisory Committee. The Beckwith\'s have one student in District 56. Their high school sophomore benefitted from Spanish education in the district before it was cut.

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfmpageid=1 College Board Reports: College Bound Seniors http://www.collegeboard.com/about/news_info/cbsenior/yr2003/html/2003reports.html Executive Summary of Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, Communities http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfmpageid=3324 Goals 2000: Educate America Act (Goal 3) http://www.ed.gov/legislation/GOALS2000/TheAct/sec102.html Illinois Learning Standards for Foreign Languages http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/foreign_languages/standards.htm Why, How and When Should My Child Learn a Foreign Language (article by Kathleen Marcos) http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/second.language.p.k12.2.html