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Parents ask Portland SD 1J for formal French pathway so Le Mans immersion students can continue advanced study
Summary
Three parents urged the Portland SD 1J policy committee during public comment to create a policy that guarantees Le Mans Immersion Charter School students access to the district’s most advanced high‑school French courses, citing equity and retention concerns.
Three parents spoke during public comment at the Portland SD 1J policy committee meeting to press the board for a clear, formal pathway for Le Mans Immersion Charter School students to continue advanced French study in the district’s high schools.
"We're advocating to fix the absence of a French pathway for Le Mans students and find a way for them to continue their language building at the high school with the most advanced French," said Sarah Childers, who identified herself as a parent of two Le Mans students and said an open letter on the issue had been signed by more than 250 supporters. She told the committee that without a clear pathway, students may leave the district, opt for private schools or undergo hardship transfers.
Suzy Caberti, another parent, described her sons as heritage French speakers and said maintaining access to advanced French instruction is essential to preserving family language ties; she said Le Mans eighth‑grade classes typically include "30 to 35" students and that only a small number pursue advanced French at the high‑school level. Liz Rhodey, also a Le Mans parent, argued a pathway would support district goals such as the "seal of biliteracy" and said existing PPS policy precedent supports targeted assignment or transfers to preserve advanced language access. "Let's keep Portland kids in Portland public schools," Rhodey said.
Speakers reported multiple factual points but the transcript records inconsistent counts for how many high schools offer advanced French; commenters variously said five PPS high schools offer some French instruction while the number offering the highest levels was not consistently stated in the record and is therefore not specified here. One commenter also said the district’s Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program is not adding new languages at this time.
No board action or vote was taken on the request during the meeting; public comment concluded and staff and the committee moved on to the scheduled policy review discussion.
