In 1896, haole lawmakers implement an “English only” policy for both public and private schools, requiring that instruction only be taught in English rather than Hawaiian, the most common language on the Islands at that time. Teachers are told that they will lose their employment if they do not uphold this mandate, and children receive harsh punishment for speaking any Hawaiian in school. Kamehameha schools open and read letters from parents to their students to censor use of Hawaiian. This language prohibition threatens continuity of the Hawaiian language and culture (Native Voices, "1896: Hawaiian language restricted").