Keep French Immersion Students Together

We are parents of children who reside in the Collins Bay Area. It is our understanding that the PARC is planning on shipping our children, as well as those who reside in Lancaster and Holsgrove areas to Amherstview P.S. in an already established French Immersion Program. The total number of students being sent to Amherstview would be approximately 70.

We feel very strongly against having them go to a school in a different municipality and in the opposite direction of employers and daycares. They would then not only be going to a new school but would be doing so with very few of their current friends and having to integrate into an already established class.

Our understanding is that the board wants to bring French Immersion programs to more community Schools. Amherstview Public School is not our community. How is it fair to our children that they will be in a classroom with their peers, but not able to register at the community center for programs on the same night, they won't be able to join the extracuricular activities and be a part of that community. How is it right that our children will be second class citizens.

While we would have preferred a single track FI school, we were on board with creating a new program at Bayridge as our children would still be with a large number of their friends and the sense of community already established would continue.