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Teachers and students urge board to restore French at Sonoma Valley High School
Summary
Multiple teachers, students and parents urged trustees to reverse the decision to drop French at Sonoma Valley High School, citing impacts on biliteracy, UC eligibility and cultural education; presenters said petitions totaling roughly 370 signatures were submitted to the district.
Public comment at the start of the meeting focused on the district’s decision to discontinue the French program at Sonoma Valley High School after the current teacher announced retirement. A long‑time teacher and multiple students described the program as a vital bilingual and cultural offering and urged the board to reconsider.
A teacher who identified themselves as having taught French for 14 years said the WASC accreditation report did not address the removal of French and that two qualified candidates for the position had not been interviewed. The speaker said parents and students had gathered a petition with about 370 signatures opposing the cut and asked trustees to grant interviews to the available candidates.
Student speakers described the impact on classroom culture and college preparation: one senior said, "French helps me socialize in a fun way... I want future students to experience the same positive results I have," and called the removal "heartbreaking." Another student read a speech from a classmate to make that point.
Board members acknowledged hearing the comments and said the foreign‑language issue is important to them; trustees asked staff to examine options and noted the need to expand scheduling choices so language classes remain viable. The item was public comment only — no board action to reinstate the class was recorded in this meeting.
