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Parents, teachers and board push back after abrupt proposed changes to dual‑language immersion program
Summary
Parents and teachers protested last‑minute district changes to the Terwilliger dual‑language immersion program; the superintendent met with parents and the board agreed to pause unilateral changes and form a stakeholder committee.
Residents, parents and teachers crowded the Alachua County School Board meeting on June 3 to oppose a district decision to alter the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program at Terwilliger and other sites.
Multiple parents described receiving late‑hour email notices that they said announced ‘‘drastic changes’’ to the program’s 50/50 model. At the meeting, parent speakers said the notices arrived over the weekend with insufficient explanation, prompting emotional public comments: “My daughter went to bed crying…she asked me why they don't care about her future,” one parent said.
Parents and teachers pressed the board and Superintendent Patton for transparency and a reversal. Several board members — notably Board Member Plavac and Board Member Vu — said they had intervened before the meeting. Superintendent Patton met with parents and staff earlier the same day; she told the board she would pause the unilateral changes, keep current classroom cohorts intact for the near term, and convene a district‑level stakeholder committee that will include parents and teachers to review proposed changes and next steps.
At the meeting, parents asked for protections for current teachers and for parent representation on a committee that will consider future program adjustments. “We truly believe that you are the driving force that got us our meeting today,” a parent speaker said, adding that parents want full transparency and to be involved in changes moving forward.
Why it matters: DLI programs use instruction in two languages to develop bilingualism and biliteracy. Parents said the program’s instructional model and teacher assignments were changed without prior consultation, upsetting families and teachers and risking loss of enrollments and trust.
Next steps: Superintendent Patton said the district will keep existing cohorts together and create a district liaison and a stakeholder committee including parent representatives; the board amended the meeting agenda to prioritize an upcoming literacy item in recognition of parents who had come to speak. The district said revised data and recommendations will be presented to stakeholders before any policy or program‑level decisions are finalized.
