Students, parents and teacher urge DPS board to save Riverside Latin program

Riverside High School students, alumni, parents and the school’s Latin teacher urged the Durham Public Schools Board of Education on Wednesday to reverse a proposed elimination of the Riverside Latin program amid district budget reductions.

“My name is Emma Goss. I’m a rising sophomore in the engineering program at Riverside,” student Emma Goss began during the public comment period, telling the board that Latin “makes me a better student in all of my subjects” and that Riverside is the only high school in the district that offers Latin classes beyond middle school.

The Riverside speakers framed their request as academic and community preservation, highlighting statewide competitive success and student supports tied to the course. Parent Ray Solo said his older son had studied Latin at Riverside and called the…