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Parents say district cut Bancroft Spanish dual-immersion without required outreach; families appeal to state
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Summary
Parents and program families told the Mount Diablo Unified board they filed uniform complaints and appealed to the California Department of Education after the district announced plans to remove Bancroft Elementary’s Spanish two-way dual-immersion program, alleging the district failed to consult ELAC/DLAC, site council and perform equity analyses.
Parents and program families told the Mount Diablo Unified School District Board of Education on April 15 that the district moved to phase out the Bancroft Elementary Spanish two-way dual-immersion (TWDI) program without the meaningful stakeholder engagement required by district policy and state law.
"I am coming here tonight as a frustrated parent. I’ve tried to resolve this for months at site level," Heather Hollis said during public comment, describing repeated campus-level contacts and saying her daughter’s 504 accommodations were being denied. "I don’t feel like I should have to beg and plead for my daughter's education for her to have a safe learning place." (Heather Hollis, public commenter.)
Families also said they filed uniform complaints after the district announced the change. "A group of parents filed uniform complaints to the district detailing that the district had not followed the proper procedures to phase out the program at Bancroft," Elizabeth Silva told the board, citing absence of notice to ELAC, DLAC, site council and a public hearing and arguing no equity assessment was performed. "We have appealed to the California Department of Education to review the cases," she said. (Elizabeth Silva, public commenter.)
Other parents underscored the program’s role as a pathway serving Latino and multilingual students and warned that moving TWDI to Woodside would exclude many current families for logistical reasons. "This program is a magnet for Latinos, and closing this program is gonna close the door to Walnut Creek Schools to many Latinos," Silva said. Elaine, another parent, said her family would not be able to follow the program if it moved and urged the board to keep at least one Bancroft class as other sites ramp up.
Organizer Jorge Silva told trustees families are pursuing multiple remedies: repeated appeals to the CDE, legal action for some families, and local organizing including consideration of a ballot measure and political action committee. "We are appealing this complaint. Some parents have taken legal action. We are exploring a local ballot measure ensuring that parents' rights are respected," he said. (Jorge Silva, public commenter.)
Board members did not act on the program during the public-comment period. Trustees and staff later discussed LCAP processes and the timing of stakeholder engagement generally, but the speakers who raised the complaints asked trustees to intervene while state review is pending.
Next steps: Families said the California Department of Education will review the uniform complaints under state equity procedures; the board did not announce a formal reversal or vote on the program at this meeting.
