Emotional parents say public board's French immersion plan will split families

Parents who attended a public meeting in South Windsor Thursday night saidtheir families will be torn apart because of the way the public school board plans to add French immersion.

Starting in September, French immersion will be added to Central Public Schoolin an attempt to take pressure off Bellewood, which is overcrowded.

But only junior kindergarten will be offered in the first year, with one grade added each fall.

• 'We're doing the best we can': French immersion teacher shortage in Canada a chronic and stressful problem

Andrea Hafez has one child in junior kindergartenat Bellewood now, and a sibling who is still at home who will eventually go to Central, meaning her two kids will be split up.

"I can understand the math. I can see Bellewood is enormous and busting at the seams.I understand that,"she said during the meeting."What I cannot understand is that my two children cannot go to the same school."

'My two children can never go to the same school'

6 years ago

Duration 0:28

Andrea Hafez says the GECDSB's plan to add French immersion at Central means her two kids will be split up.

Too many students, not enough space

Greater Essex County District School BoardSuperintendent Todd Awenderexplained Centralhas more than 200 empty spaces, and ironically, it's because so many families in that neighbourhood chose French immersion.

"There's about 214 students that live in the Central boundary that are attending Bellewood for French immersion, so if they weren't attending Bellewood, and they chose the English program, we would have 214 more students in that building," he said."It's just a choice for the families,because it's giving kids an opportunity to have the ability to speak two languages, or more."

French immersion will also be added for Kindergarten and Grade 1 at Marlborough Public School to relieve GilesCampus French Immersion Public School, which is already packed and will be moving to an even smaller building on Mercer Street.

• Planning committee gives go-ahead for design of French immersion school on Mercer Ave.

"The site at Mercer is not large enough to accommodate portables, so we have to decrease the population at Giles in order to move into the new school," said Awender, who was apologetic while listening to parents' concerns.

'Sorry' not enough

ButXuan Nguyen said sorry isn't good enough.

She has one child attending Bellewood and another set to start junior kindergarten at Central in September.

"I feel so sad. In the long term future, 20 years, 30 years from now, what my daughter and my son will learn is that once you get into the power position, all you have to do is say sorry. 'I'm so sorry. I know that you're unhappy, but the decision is made, and there's no option for you.' That's how democracy works here."