East Bay elementary school parents fight to save Spanish duel immersion program

"We launched a petition. We've gotten over 550 signatures of our petition. There's about 350 kids in the dual immersion program from kindergarten to 5th grade. We have our second grader in the program. We're hoping to enroll our TK student starting in the fall."

"We have to do something about enrollment at that particular school and this makes sense because of the feeder pattern. It goes into a school where students can continue to develop their language. I know that it is an inconvenience for folks. I do empathize for t"

"This is such a good program. We shouldn't be moving it. We should be expanding it. Over the next five years, the Spanish immersion program at Bancroft Elementary would phase out and move to Woodside Elementary, 2 miles away in Concord."

Parents in Walnut Creek are opposing Mt. Diablo Unified School District's decision to phase out the Spanish dual immersion program at Bancroft Elementary School, the only such program in the area. Since 2014, approximately 350 students from kindergarten to fifth grade have participated in the program. Parents have launched a petition with over 550 signatures and are calling on Governor Newsom for intervention. The district plans to relocate the program to Woodside Elementary, 2 miles away in Concord, over the next five years. Current students will not be affected by the move. The district cites overcrowding at Bancroft, transfers impacting Foothill Middle School, underperforming English learners, and insufficient aftercare space as reasons for the relocation.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco