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Patchogue‑Medford plans to shift Bay dual‑language program to Medford after asbestos-related reductions; parents urge moratorium
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Summary
Parents and a dual-language teacher urged the Patchogue‑Medford Board of Education to halt plans to move the district's dual-language program from Bay Elementary after asbestos removal reduced classroom capacity; district leaders said the program will be shifted to Medford to support four sections per grade and to add a transitional bilingual option, citing enrollment patterns and Part 154 priorities.
At the March 30 Patchogue‑Medford Board of Education meeting, parents and a fifth‑grade dual‑language teacher urged the district to pause plans to move the dual‑language program from Bay Elementary after asbestos removal forced changes to that school's classroom configuration.
"When asbestos was found at Bay where my daughter attends, our district was presented with a problem. Its solution is to make room at Bay by closing the dual language program there," said Amanda Serber Gonzales, a fifth‑grade dual‑language teacher and parent. "That is 25% of our dual language program gone over the next 6 years." She asked the board to impose a moratorium and to assemble a bilingual‑education committee of teachers, directors and families to explore alternatives.
District leaders told the board they are not dismantling dual language but are shifting the program to Medford to create more class‑section options. "By moving the program to Medford, we offer four sections at a grade level, and it does give more flexibility," said the interim superintendent. The administration said Bay's capital project required reducing classroom counts after asbestos abatement, which constrained how the program could be housed at that building.
Administrators and staff emphasized program rules and enrollment realities. The district reported 27 English‑proficient families in the kindergarten cohort this year and said dual‑language assignments are determined by lottery that must prioritize English‑language learners under Part 154 regulations. The interim superintendent said the district plans two dual‑language and two general‑education sections in Medford for next year and will create a transitional bilingual program for K–1 to meet additional needs.
Parents at the meeting said shifting the program will split families and complicate logistics for households with multiple children, and urged the board to give the program more time and stakeholder input before making final placements. The district said it will meet with the Bay community (a meeting was scheduled the following Wednesday) and continue enrollment and program planning discussions with principals, directors and teachers.
The consent agenda, which included the administration's notification items, passed earlier in the evening; the district stated that the board accepted the interim superintendent's notification of retirement as part of that process. No formal vote on changing the dual‑language program location was recorded at the March 30 meeting; administrators described the current plan and committed to further community meetings and analysis.
What happens next: the administration said it will continue planning and hold a Bay community meeting to answer questions; parents requested formation of an expert committee and a temporary moratorium while alternatives are explored.
