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Teachers, students and parents urge Southgate board to keep French program
Summary
At the May 12 board meeting, multiple parents, a teacher and students urged the Southgate Community School District to retain its French language offerings, citing academic benefits and continuity for students midway through their language sequence. The board did not take formal action on the program that night.
At the Southgate Community School District Board of Education meeting on May 12, parents, a teacher and students urged the board to reverse or halt a proposed removal of French from the district’s curriculum.
Teacher Christine McKenna, who identified herself as having taught in the district for 13 years, told the board that "at first glance, cutting a language program might look like a way to save money or streamline course offerings," but said removing French would "narrow our students' world view, limit their opportunities and weaken the very skills we claim to value in education." She said she submitted "a petition signed by over 200 students and stakeholders" asking the board to reconsider.
Parent and educator Julie Flinkben described her daughter’s rapid progress in the district’s French class and praised "Miss McKenna" as a "very dedicated, hardworking, and respected educator at DMS," saying the class had produced strong student engagement and language gains in months rather than years. "Please make the right decision," Flinkben told the board.
Student Olivia Flinkman, an upcoming ninth grader, said the class "makes me happy every day" and told the board she and fellow students had gathered an online petition she said included 211 signatures in support of keeping French in both middle and high school.
Speakers emphasized that mid-course language changes would force students to restart in Spanish or take online courses without teachers, disrupting continuity for students who have already completed portions of the French sequence. Several speakers framed the issue as both a curricular and equity concern, arguing that smaller-enrolled language options still carry academic and cultural value.
Board members took no vote on the French program during the meeting; the agenda continued to other business. The French program was discussed only during the public-comment portion of the meeting.
