Parents In Contra Costa Schools Fight Against Language Program Cuts: Report

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Frustration filled the Mt. Diablo Unified School District board meeting this week as families from two elementary schools protested a plan to phase out English-Spanish dual immersion programs.

Dozens of parents and students on Wednesday night waved homemade signs and demanded the district halt plans to end dual immersion programs at Bancroft Elementary in Walnut Creek and Shore Acres Elementary in Bay Point, according to reports.

The program is designed to help children become bilingual in Spanish and English by teaching subjects in both languages.

The district includes more than 50 school sites in Contra Costa County, in the cities of Clayton, Concord, Pleasant Hill, portions of Martinez, Pittsburg, and Walnut Creek, and the unincorporated communities of Bay Point, Lafayette, and Pacheco.

Families held up signs and pleaded with board members to reconsider the decision, saying it would disrupt students’ education and force siblings to attend different schools to find an English-Spanish language program, according to reports.

Parents presented a petition with about 300 signatures to trustees, asking them to reconsider the decision they said blindsided them shortly after kindergarten enrollment ended, according to reports from KTVU.

They said they haven't seen data or a rationale for the relocation and asked the council to urge the district to pause the plan and consult with families, according to reports.

"All of a sudden, with nine days' notice, they pull it out from under us," said Pegah Charest, whose two children are enrolled at Bancroft. "It’s really emotional, truthfully," NBC Bay Area reported.

The program would be moved to Woodside Elementary in Concord under the proposal, according to reports.

They argued that they have not been provided with data or a rationale for the relocation and asked the council to urge the district to pause the plan and consult with families.

District officials responded that no new students would be admitted to the programs, but current students could finish their elementary education in a dual-immersion setting. They also noted that affected students could transfer to a similar program at another school. However, parents said that the move would create challenges for families with multiple children, according to reports.
Mount Diablo Unified operates as a separate special district.

Parents told the Walnut Creek City Council on Feb. 3 that the sudden decision to move the school’s kindergarten dual‑immersion program to Woodside Elementary would disrupt families and was made without meaningful engagement, according to reports.

According to reports, City Manager Dan Buckshite said this was the first he had heard of the action, and Mayor Kevin Wilk asked staff with public‑education responsibilities to contact the district superintendent’s office to gather background information and report back to the council.