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Parents, teachers and students urge board to preserve Lincoln Elementary’s Spanish immersion program
Summary
Several Lincoln Elementary teachers, parents and a fifth-grade student urged the Davis School District board to keep the school’s Spanish immersion program, saying it improves academic outcomes, cultural inclusion and student confidence and asking for more support staff rather than program cuts.
Dozens of community members spoke at the start of the Davis School District board meeting to urge officials not to end Lincoln Elementary’s Spanish immersion program.
Cynthia Minson, a Lincoln teacher, told the board the program follows an additive bilingual model that helps students learn English while retaining their home language and cited research showing benefits for literacy and cognitive flexibility. “Protecting it means protecting equity, opportunity, and hope for all of our children,” she said.
Other speakers included Kenzie Skadlock, a sixth-grade teacher at Wasatch Elementary, who praised district professional development programs that support classroom innovation, and Annabelle Harris, a fifth grader at Lincoln, who described concrete benefits she’s seen: “I’ve already seen it benefit my life at the age of 10. I know me and a lot of other kids will be very sad if you get rid of the Spanish program.”
Parents and PTA members described the program’s role in community cohesion and student confidence. Lonnie Perez, who lives in Lincoln’s boundaries and has two children enrolled in the program, urged board members to attend the school’s Viva La Cultura event to observe the program’s impact firsthand. Kirsten Ruiz, a parent and former Lincoln employee, said removing immersion would be “a step away from empathy, understanding, and global citizenship.”
Speakers asked the board to provide more consistent behavior supports, additional staff and trauma-informed teacher training rather than eliminating the program. The district’s Oct. 28 hearing on the dual immersion program was referenced by a board member as the next procedural step for community input.
The board did not take action on the immersion program at this meeting; the comments were part of the public comment period and were recorded for follow-up.
