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Parents tell Farmington school board the Forest Elementary third‑grade ‘mega‑class’ is harming students
Summary
At the April 7 Farmington Public School District board meeting, multiple parents urged the district to reconsider a Forest Elementary third‑grade configuration they described as a combined cohort of roughly 60 students with two teachers, citing learning, safety and mental‑health concerns and asking for data and clear communication about next year.
At the April 7 meeting of the Farmington Public School District Board of Education, several parents told trustees they were alarmed by a third‑grade, team‑teaching configuration at Forest Elementary that they described as one large room containing about 60 pupils and two teachers.
"That's not a classroom, that's a crowd," Rachel Taylor told the board, saying the size prevents meaningful individualized attention and increases the risk that students who need support will "fall through the cracks." Jennifer Dawson, who said her child will enter third grade in the fall, praised the team‑teaching idea in principle but said the current classroom size is "heartbreaking" and asked the district for research and data showing the arrangement supports learning.
John Troost, a parent of first graders at Forest, and other speakers described practical problems they say occur in the room: high noise levels, students sitting on beanbags or the floor, disputes over seats and heavy Chromebook use. "It feels experimental," Troost said, and several parents told the board families have already left the school or are considering leaving because of the configuration.
Superintendent Dr. Coffin and other district staff did not present new, conclusive data during the public comment periods; Dr. Coffin said district leaders have been meeting with stakeholders and invited continued feedback. Board members said they heard the concerns and indicated staff would follow up. Trustee Sean Shapiro (public comment) urged the board to keep these concerns on its agenda and to maintain communication with families.
The board took no formal action on the classroom arrangement during the meeting. Parents asked for timely clarification about next year’s plan so families can make informed enrollment decisions; several said they want dollar figures and research supporting the model, not only communication about teacher retention. The district’s budget presentation later in the meeting outlined general program priorities but did not allocate a specific line item at this session to alter the third‑grade configuration.
What’s next: parents asked the board to provide clear, early notification about the third‑grade arrangement for the 2026–27 school year and additional data showing academic and social outcomes for the model. The board did not schedule a vote or directive on the classroom arrangement during this meeting.
