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Parents urge Norwalk Board to restore Silvermine 50/50 dual-language model, say staffing reduced without notice
Summary
Two Silvermine parents told the Norwalk Board of Education the school's 50/50 English-Spanish model has been reduced in upper elementary grades, citing a petition and lack of district responses and asking the board to investigate implementation and transparency.
Two parents urged the Norwalk Board of Education on Nov. 18 to investigate what they described as changes to Silvermine's dual-language program that they say have undermined the program's 50/50 immersion model.
Angela Hidalgo, a Silvermine parent, told the board she learned the long-standing staffing pattern of two English and two Spanish teachers per grade has been reduced in fourth and fifth grade to two English teachers and one Spanish teacher, "which impacts the 50/50 dual-language model." Hidalgo said parents were not notified or consulted and that she has sought a detailed outline of how the dual-language model has been implemented since September. She said she had started a petition seeking restoration of the 50/50 model and reported 157 signatures.
Daisy Sebastian, speaking online, reiterated that Silvermine's program is intended as a K'8 50/50 immersion model with team teaching (one English teacher and one Spanish teacher per team). Sebastian said the 50/50 model "no longer exists in the fourth, fifth, or sixth grade," that teacher retention has suffered, and that multiple emails to district leaders, including to the superintendent, had not been answered. She said the program is research-based and described a personal example: her daughter completed the district program and is now in native honors Spanish classes in high school, which she cited as evidence of the program's value.
Board members did not take an immediate formal action during the public comment period. Later in the meeting, district accountability staff addressed which schools had "fallen off" in accountability measures and attributed declines in some schools to growth indicators, but there was no presentation in the meeting specifically rebutting or confirming the parents' allegations about staffing changes, notification, or Spanish-language minutes lost at Silvermine.
The meeting record shows several possible next steps that could address parents' concerns. Parents asked for (1) a clear written outline of current language allocations by grade since September; (2) explanation of any staffing changes and the rationale; and (3) confirmation of whether interventions or Spanish-language supports have been reduced. Board members and district staff did discuss Silvermine in the context of accountability results (not program staffing) and asked staff clarifying questions about why Kendall and Silvermine's accountability indices changed (the district presentation attributed the decline primarily to growth metrics).
