I went to a private Catholic school some 50 years ago. We had girls there – in small numbers – who were from various South American countries. They usually spoke no English when they came. It had to be difficult for them… They were not restricted from socializing with the other Spanish speaking girls, but there weren't very many of them. No provision was made for them specifically to learn English(as far as I know), although the girls had help if they needed it. By the end of their first year, most spoke decent English. By the end of their second year, most spoke _good_ English. None failed academic classes, though their grades weren't outstanding.

If there are a large number of Spanish speaking students, I can understand the school limiting their social interaction – the goal is to force them to learn English. Given the lawsuit, chances are that they speak Spanish at home – the school may be trying to maximize the English exposure time, and to be honest, peer to peer interaction is probably the best way for kids to learn another language.

What confuses me is the parents…why are they sending their kids to this school if their goal isn't to learn English and to assimilate into American culture? Wish we knew more about the parents and what they were up to…