Immigrant parents ask Durham schools for more busing and language access during budget hearing

Members of a parent group called School Parents for Immigrant Defense urged the Durham Public Schools Board of Education to fund more consistent bus transportation and expanded language access, telling the board that recent routing changes and complicated school communications have hit immigrant families especially hard.

Tony Macias, a founder of the group, said the district’s family responsibility zones and inconsistent busing have “disproportionate impact” on immigrant families and that many parents feel safer when their children ride school buses. “We strongly support the proposed budget for greater driver wages,” Macias said, and urged policies to ensure “everyone who needs a bus gets a bus.”

Speakers also described barriers in school communications. Macias and others said automated phone blasts and principal messages are not always delivered in families’ primary languages, and that PowerSchool’s account setup can be difficult for parents to navigate. Jocelyn Dawson, speaking for the same parent group, highlighted the role of bilingual community liaisons at schools such as Holt and Hope Valley elementary schools and said those positions rely on Title I funds and are therefore not guaranteed.

Dawson said Eastway Elementary’s bilingual community liaison position was cut this year even though the school’s Latinx population has increased. She urged Durham Public Schools to fund bilingual liaisons consistently across schools and to provide more bilingual staff districtwide.

Speakers recommended ongoing interpreter training and said current interpreter capacity sometimes requires one interpreter to serve multiple schools. The board acknowledged public comment and said it will review community submissions alongside the superintendent’s recommended budget in upcoming budget meetings.