V was right - they are teaching French because it is south Louisiana. The french language is very prevalent in the Cajun culture and hence life in south Louisiana. I did my grad work in Lafayette - a town in which all of the streets downtown are in French. Just an example.

I think that learning a second language early is beneficial for many reasons - most of which have been eloquently stated in this thread. Once a child picks up a second language, it is that much easier to pick up a third or 4th.

As they get older, more languages are introduced in school (as is true for everwhere in the US).