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Manhasset to pause 7th‑grade French next year after months of teacher shortages
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Summary
Facing a shortage of New York State‑certified French teachers, the district will assign a dual‑certified teacher to higher level courses and will not offer French to incoming seventh graders next year; about 14 students who enrolled were contacted, and the administration said the program will be rebuilt.
The Manhasset Union Free School District said it will not offer a seventh‑grade French course next year because the district could not find a New York State‑certified candidate who met district expectations; the administration said it has taken multiple steps to recruit instructors but will temporarily reassign existing staff to cover higher‑level courses.
"We can't just hire people off the street who speak French," said Dr. Chowsky, who outlined months of outreach, coaching and curriculum work to stabilize the program. He said the district hired a retired world‑language department head as a coach, reached out to local and regional colleges and contacted the French consulate as part of hiring efforts.
The administration said Valerie Shuster, a current staff member dually certified in French and Spanish who has advised the French Honor Society and attended AP French training, will teach French 1–4 (grades 8–12) next year but will have a full five‑section load; as a result, the district will not offer the planned seventh‑grade French section. The district said about 14 students who had registered for the seventh‑grade course were contacted and counseled; the administration stressed the decision was difficult and that the program is not permanently closed.
Board members thanked the administration for extensive outreach and support for students while the district seeks a certified hire. The administration said it will continue recruiting, rebuild the program and aim to offer French 1 again when those students reach ninth grade.
What this means: affected families were notified and the district plans to maintain higher‑level course continuity while recruiting certified teachers; there is no immediate formal vote attached to the change, which was presented to the board as an operational staffing decision.
