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Parents voice concerns at Northville board meeting about Spanish II instruction and Hillside band program
Summary
Multiple parents told the board that Northville High School Spanish II instruction is misaligned with assessments and that the Hillside middle‑school band program has declined under current direction; trustees urged parents to follow school‑level channels for remediation.
Several parents used the Sept. 23 board meeting’s public‑comment period to raise academic and extracurricular concerns at Northville High School and Hillside Middle School.
Lori Selick said her freshman “came home last week and said to me, ‘I’m really stressed out. I’m failing Spanish,’” and told trustees she and other parents on a Northville High School parent Facebook group reported consistent problems in Spanish II. “Everything’s turned in... but you know what? He’s failing the test. Why is he failing the test? Because his teacher does not teach what she tests on,” Selick said. Trustees responded that parents should raise class concerns first with the classroom teacher, then the counselor and principal; Selick said she had met with a counselor during observance of Rosh Hashanah and sought a course change.
Amy Kepes, who said she has two nephews at Northville High School, also described students anxious about Spanish II and urged the district to accelerate remedies. Kepes said the pattern stretches beyond a single class year and called for faster action to ensure instructional alignment between lessons and assessments.
Parents’ comments prompted trustees to outline the chain of school‑level steps available: contact the teacher, then assistant principal or counselor, then the principal, and escalate to district staff or the board if unresolved. Administrators and trustees said they were listening and offered to assist with follow-up through counselors and building administrators.
Separately, Ron Selleck spoke about the Hillside band program’s decline, saying participation fell from about 300 pre‑COVID to 125 this year and attributing the drop to changes under the new Hillside music director. Selleck said former director Mister Lansey would send 50–60 students to the high‑school program annually, whereas he said this year the middle school sent far fewer. Selleck urged the board to prioritize music and consider replacing the current director if the program does not recover.
Board members said they would ensure the appropriate administrators review the complaints. Trustees emphasized that public comment records concerns but do not substitute for personnel processes. The board did not take any personnel actions at the meeting; parents were advised to pursue concerns through the recommended school‑level channels.
