While implementing specific programs is up to the individual school districts, the county board\u2019s resolution shows support and raises awareness for bilingual education in the county, a county education spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA bilingual education, particularly for primarily Spanish-speaking kids, is a good idea,\u201d Valdes said. \u201cWhile in the end we want our kids to be proficient in English, we do not want to lose years of learning on the way toward that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charlu grew up in an Indian-American household in Orange County, where her native language was English. She started learning Spanish at a young age, which is where her passion for bilingual education developed, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially coming from an immigrant background, I think language functions as the gatekeeper to belonging,\u201d Charlu said. \u201cThis whole thing just spanned from my love of the Spanish language.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Sailee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/OCR-L-BILINGUALED-0801-JA-08.jpg\")
Sailee Charlu, 17, a student at Orange County School of the Arts and founder of Habla Futures Initiative, a platform geared towards expanding bilingual education, stands in an alley in Downtown Santa Ana where some of her favorite public art is on display on Friday, July 31, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)<\/p>\n
Now, Charlu is focused on improving bilingual education access at the state level through a bill she has drafted alongside the office of Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana.<\/p>\n
California\u2019s current education code states that multilingual programs may include, but are not limited to eight programs, most of which require an instructor to be credentialed.\u00a0But translanguaging, which is not explicitly stated in the education code, does not require a separate certification.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing that states that translanguaging is even a possibility,\u201d Charlu said. \u201cSo if it were to be passed in legislation, then our teachers are actually aware this is a certified instructional method.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charlu\u2019s bill would ensure that translanguaging is a known practice amongst teachers, many of whom already speak a second language but might not be credentialed to teach in that language.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s taking advantage of a native speaking teacher who might be credentialed in a single subject, but they\u2019re using their full linguistic capacity to help that English learner,\u201d Charlu said.<\/p>\n
While Umberg did not have room in his legislative schedule to sponsor the bill himself, Charlu is currently circulating it amongst Assembly members\u2019 offices to find a sponsor who will formally introduce it in the California Legislature, she said.<\/p>\n
But before ever pursuing legislation, Charlu spent the past five years speaking at school board meetings, conducting research and founding two nonprofit educational programs \u2014 all to advance bilingual education in her community.<\/p>\n
In 2022, when she was 13-years-old, Charlu sat down with three English learner students at El Sol Academy, a dual-immersion charter school in Santa Ana, for an after-school art camp with the hope of strengthening cultural expression through visual art and public speaking.<\/p>\n