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Parents press board over language offerings and long bus commutes; PTA outlines fall activities
Summary
A resident questioned why the district is offering only one language this year, prompting board clarification that Italian remains for continuing students; a parent representative described lengthy bus commutes for about 80 girls from Queens and thanked district staff for working on route improvements. PTA reported upcoming fundraisers and meetings.
During the public-comment period at the West Hempstead board meeting, multiple community members raised concerns about curriculum choices and student transportation.
Resident Mrs. Kelsey said she was told the district was offering only one language this year and asked why that is the case, urging the board to encourage multilingual offerings: "I'd like to know why we're only offering 1 language this year." Chair and other board members replied that the situation is not absolute for continuing students, noting "There are still students taking Italian" and that the district's current language offerings differ from a time when Latin, German, Italian, French and Spanish were available.
A parent representative speaking on behalf of roughly 80 girls who commute from Queens described lengthy commutes and thanked Superintendent Raymond and Ms. Gondolfo for a prompt response to their letter; she said district teams are working on route adjustments to shorten travel times for the remainder of the year.
Separately, PTA/PTSA representatives outlined fall planning: a welcome-back event on Sept. 20, a public meeting Sept. 30, a spiritwear fundraiser (open through the week) and volunteer committee needs for programming, fundraising and senior-year events. The PTA asked the district to help promote the fundraiser to new parents.
What it means: Community members used the public-comment time to press for curriculum breadth and better transportation, two issues that directly affect student experience. The board acknowledged the concerns and indicated staff are working on route adjustments and that some language classes (including Italian for continuing students) remain available.
Next steps: District staff said they will continue to work on transportation routing and communication about language-course availability; the PTA will continue outreach and next PTSA meeting is scheduled for Oct. 21.
