Maintain Sibling Preference for Davis Dual Immersion Programs

Please respect the commitment made to families who are vested in the success of immersion programs. Adjustments to the admittance process are inevitable as the program grows, but please find a compromise that grandfathers in current families.

I am extremely upset that the district is threatening taking away sibling priority. That was part of the two sided contract we signed and expect your part of the deal be met. This program will only work as a family program. It is a huge part of it and will fail otherwise. Please keep your part of the deal.

It is a benefit for the student in the Chinese Immersion program to have a sibling in the home to help with the Chinese. Especially, when most parents do not know the language AT ALL. Also, for parents driving to that school, from any given distance, it is not only helpful but just makes sense for them to have all their children together.

The immersion program is wonderful. We have enjoyed watching two of our three grandchildren go through it. In addition to the unique learning experience it has also help strengthen the bond between the two children involved. It would be devastating for their younger sibling to be denied this wonderful education experience.

My 5 and 2 year old can already understand some French by listening to their older brother who is in first grade. The fact that ALL of our children would have this amazing learning opportunity was a huge selling point to us. Taking this opportunity from siblings will be detrimental to the program. You will have many families pulling their kids or moving away because there would no longer be any motivation to stay in the area.

There is no comparison between: the level of rightful anger that a parent has for not getting into immersion (most reasonable parents understand that sibling priority is what immersion and charter schools practice--it's everywhere in Utah's educational environment!) VERSUS the level of rightful anger that a parent has for sacrificing jobs, home building/moving decisions, time and money spent preparing the younger child in the language, volunteer time, foregone acceptances into charter schools, foregone chances to enter the honors program, wasted time driving your children X hours a day to the immersion school . . . all for nothing because the immersion program for only a fraction of your family is not what you signed up for . . . AND AS IF THIS IS NOT ENOUGH, BEING 1) LIED TO DESPITE ABSOLUTE ASSURANCES, AND 2) BLINDSIDED MERE MONTHS BEFORE THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR Let's hope that the voices of reason will prevail at DSD!

It just makes sense for all of my children to have the opportunity to be in the program. I have 4 in the program now, and it has been amazing. I have 2 more children yet to start school, and it'd be silly if one got in and one didn't, leaving one not learning Spanish. Siblings should be first priority as they can support each other through the program.

You have already made a commitment to the families currently in the program by promising to give first priority to siblings. Stick with your commitment. Make any new changes apply to those that will be coming into the program that you haven't committed to yet. Your word should mean something. What are you trying to teach our children by this example? Show the community that our board is honorable and keeps their word. Practice and model good standards for the community and especially for our children!

I also sent messages to each school board member and the director of the immersion program. One board member simply responded to contact the district office...thanks for listening. Hopefully you will listen as closely next time you are up for reelection. The other let me know that 3 board members had asked for it to be added to the agenda on May 3. Let's hope you are able to do the right and ethical thing

It helps tremendously having siblings in the immersion program together. I think it would be stupid to stop that!!

As a parent of a first grader in the Chinese immersion program and a preschooler who will be attending Heritage within the next two years, I feel strongly that younger siblings should have preference in admittance to the program.

I have 2 kids in the program already and want my incoming kindergarten to be in the program too!

Davis County School District ... what are you thinking?? Watching my grandson grow and develop a second language at such a young age and looking forward to his younger sister being enrolled is exciting ... you can't just go back on a commitment that you made to these families, these children and your community.

If the decision were made to NOT give sibling preference it would be a great loss to the individual families already involved. But the greater loss might be to each school and their program. I'm frustrated to think that this is even a consideration.

Thank you for your consideration

It really concerns me that the school district is wanting to go back on their promise to automatically allow younger siblings into the immersion program. I have 2 boys in there already and their younger sister starting kindergarten 2016-2017. I will be really angry if her spot is given to someone not in the boundaries. How is this fair?

I'm expecting my son to start at the same school soon if hate to have to pull my daughter out.

It benefits the students to have siblings learning the same language. It will help them to have practice and become more fluent.

My children attend Heritage Elementary school. We have been apart of its immersion program since the beginning. I now have two girls in the program and one going in this year. We have loved being apart of the program. We have been dedicated to the program. All good programs need to have revisions made and be flexible with changing needs of its participants. I understand that need. My concern is that this solution helps those who want to get into the immersion program but doesn't satisfy the needs of those currently in the program. We were told that our children's siblings were guaranteed a spot in the immersion program. When deciding to put our children into the program a big deciding factor is allowing the siblings to participate. Creating a culture in our home. When we were excepted into the immersion program we were asked to sign a paper agreeing to do certain things. Like move from our home, or agreeing to the extra homework. I signed and agreed to these things gladly! Where is the loyalty to those of us who have committed to the program we signed up for? Having siblings participate is that has helped the program grow into what it is today. I now have a chance of my youngest not be able to participate in this program. We have been planning and taking about how this would happen! Even doing as much as trying to prepare her as much as possible. Having older siblings begin teaching her what they know. Is there not a better balance in a solution? Can we not at the very least get more of a warning. A chance to speak our concerns before making such a big decision. Can we not make this change for those who are incoming? So they sign up with this knowledge. In all honestly, I do not believe this will be a good thing for the program. I think enrollment will go down in subsequent years. I most likely would have not done it all together if only some of my children could participate. Also some schools have already done their selection for t

We have two daughters in the program and our son is a couple years away but we want all three to maintain similar schedules and programs.