Parents Want Language Immersion in Nyack’s Elementary Schools

A group of concerned parents are calling on district officials to put language studies back in Nyack School District elementary schools. (Liberty, Upper Nyack and Valley Cottage).

Heather Cornell, a Valley Cottage parent, is spearheading the effort to bring a language immersion program to the schools. Language immersion teaches youngsters an unfamiliar language by carrying out classes—be they math, science or history—in a foreign language. English-speaking children would be taught primarily in Spanish, and Spanish-speaking children would be taught primarily in English.

A contingent of Cornell's "Parents For Immersion" group came before the Nyack School Board at yesterday's meeting to discuss the program. Currently, Cornell has 41 parents working alongside her, and an online petition with over 100 signatures.

"The petition has only been up for ten days," Cornell explained. "[But] I would like to see a total of 250 signatures, the size of an incoming kindergarten class."

Cornell noted that when she was searching for an elementary school for her children, second-language acquisition was the single most important issue.

"Our kids deserve to speak a different language," she said. "We can't afford not to do this."

Nyack Interim School Superintendent Jason Friedman explained language studies were part of grade school curricula until last year, when budgetary constraints forced the district to cut such programs. Now, children in the Nyacks begin learning a new language at grade six.

And although the cut benefited the budget, the prospect of elementary schools not including foreign language instruction does not sit well with a number of local parents. At yesterday's meeting, parents said that learning a foreign tongue can benefit children by improving their overall educational experience, introducing them to different cultures and traditions and better prepare them for success in the professional world.

Cornell brought up three requests she believes are vital for kick-starting the program: forming a committee comprised of parents, staff and educators; setting up language immersion informational sessions; and, from now on, hiring only bilingual teachers at area elementary schools.

Friedman said the district is looking into the possibility of establishing a dual language immersion program for kindergarten and first grade students that, if implemented, would begin this coming September. He added that the New Rochelle School District has a similar program that teaches students Spanish, French and Italian. Frideman noted a contingent from Nyack will visit New Rochelle Schools on March 19.

However, Friedman concluded that, before any final decision is made, issues like staffing and the selection of those students who will participate must be taken into consideration. A decision is expected to be reached by mid-March after the district unveils its final budget.