As parents of young children in the Manhasset public schools, we were delighted when the district decided last year to begin teaching Spanish in the elementary schools.

As we all know, learning a second language is easy - and usually fun - for young children but often becomes torture by the middle-school years. Studies suggest that the window of opportunity for becoming fluent in a language closes around age 10. And there is plenty of evidence that young children gain important benefits from learning languages. So starting a second language early makes perfect sense.

Spanish instruction began this year in kindergarten and, by all accounts, is going well. But few parents may realize that, under the current plan, most of our schoolchildren will never get to benefit from this instruction.

That's because the foreign language evaluation committee has decided that Spanish instruction will begin only in kindergarten. This year's kindergartners will continue to get Spanish as they move up the grades, as will each new kindergarten class. But no other children currently in Munsey Park or Shelter Rock schools - no current first-graders, second-graders, third-graders, fourth-graders or fifth-graders - will learn a second language until they get to middle school.

That means this year's first-graders will end up spending six long years in a public elementary school where Spanish is being taught - but will never get the opportunity to learn it. This seems to us seriously inequitable. It also seems like a terrible waste of the best chance our children will ever have to learn a second language in an easy, natural, joyful fashion.

Last year, when the plan was first revealed, many of us raised this issue at a board of education meeting, arguing strongly in favor of Spanish instruction for our children, who are now first-graders. We were told that this year, once the program had begun, the committee would re-evaluate the program to see if it could be expanded more quickly. But now the foreign language committee has decided to stick with its original plan, apparently without any re-evaluation. The committee intends to recommend to the board that Spanish be offered next year only in kindergarten and first grade.

We understand that a new program needs to be implemented carefully and that there are obstacles to doing more than the minimum possible expansion. But we believe that, if the district is committed to this important program, we can work together to overcome the obstacles. We know that many parents would be glad to help in this process.

We think that expanding the Spanish program more quickly, at least to the second grade next year, should be an extremely high priority for the district. If you agree, we hope that you will make your views known to the school board and Superintendent Bozzomo. If you'd like to speak with us about this, please call Elaine Canton Pacent at 869-6258.