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Parent tells board ending German program removes student choice; asks members to use oversight authority
Summary
A parent urged the Eden Board of Education to reconsider ending the German language program, saying the decision affects students across grades and that certified German candidates existed. She asked the board to use its authority under New York education law to question hiring recommendations and seek alternatives.
Jessica Antonik, introduced herself as a parent during the public-comment period and criticized the district’s decision to cease the German language program, calling the move “a disservice to the school and the students.”
Antonik told the board she believed the district “took away a choice from the students” and said there were German-language applicants. She cited a prior comment by a district official that keeping German would be pursued “if there was a chance,” and asked the board to exercise its oversight power under New York State education law to question hiring recommendations and seek alternatives rather than accept the program’s elimination.
Board members responded with a longer discussion during the personnel appointment agenda item, explaining that certified German candidates were scarce and that the district settled on hiring a French-certified teacher to maintain a robust world-language program. The superintendent and board members said they aim to preserve a path for students to reach third-year German requirements through a single German section if needed.
