DELAVAN — You're just as likely to find a Latino student within Delavan-Darien Schools as a white student. A dual-language program has helped bridge the cultural gap, but it could be in jeopardy.
Delavan-Darien Schools is considering shortening its pre-K through 12th grade dual-language program so it would end in 6th grade instead.
Watch: Why students and parents are pushing for Delavan-Darien Schools to keep their dual-language program, as the district considers removing it.
The school board held a special meeting on the matter inside the high school auditorium Wednesday night, where a full house of students and parents pushed back on the proposal.
"You're simply not familiar with the faces of the people this program represents," said Delavan-Darien High School student Ty Hilson, who has taken dual-language courses since pre-kindergarten. "Having been a lifeguard, I have literally saved lives because of being bilingual."
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 52 percent of students within Delavan-Darien Schools are Latino. The district revealed Wednesday about 600 of the district's 1,674 total students are enrolled in the dual-language initiative.
School board president David Henriott claimed they have not been able to hire enough teachers to keep the full program going.
"There's staffing issues and financial issues that we are talking about," Henriott said. "These are the tough decisions this board has to sit up here and make."
The board listened to two and a half hours of comments from the public, who unanimously opposed any plan to reduce dual-language services.
"I'm frankly embarrassed by the fact that I have to be up here today," said Owen Alter, a high school classmate of Hilson who has also taken dual-language courses since pre-K. "Because we have such a large Hispanic population, I think that cutting a program like this would deny so many opportunities."
"We want our children to be bi-literate at the end of this, as well as bi-lingual and bi-cultural," said Delavan-Darien parent Kimberly Hanson, who has two children enrilled in dual-language classes. "This is a great opportunity for any child."
The board decided not to make a final decision Wednesday. They tabled the discussion until next month's board meeting and decided to create a dual-language committee made up of students, parents, and staff members to help guide the school district.
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