Parents, students create petition to save Bradford’s French Immersion program

Students and parents are unhappy after the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) proposed having its secondary French Immersion (FI) program for Bradford students, designated at Nantyr Shores in Innisfil. 

The SCDSB first introduced the FI program in September 2013. It is in now its eighth year, with the first classes set to graduate from elementary school in June 2021. 

The oldest students in the FI program are currently in Grade 7 at W.H. Day Elementary School, the only elementary school in Bradford offering French Immersion. It was always expected by parents that, when the program was extended to the high school level, the first high school FI Program would be offered at Bradford High. 

At present, BDHS offers Extended French as a Second Language (EFSL), a program which requires students to  complete a total of seven credits (4 French language, 1 geography, 1 history, 1 senior level course). The new secondary FI program will require 10 subjects to be taken in French over the course of four years - but according to the school board, it will not be offered in Bradford. 

"The existing EFSL program will be phased out starting in Sept. 2021. Students in the existing program will remain in the program until it is phased out in June 2024," explained Superintendent of Program and Special Education for SCDSB, Chris Samis. 

The plan is to move the designated French Immersion program site from BDHS to Nantyr Shores Secondary in Innisfil, starting September 2021. 

"New incoming grade 9 students will start at Nantyr in Sept. 2021," said Samis. "The SCDSB will provide transportation to students in the program."

Bradford FI students have responded by creating a petition, protesting the potential changes to the program, and the move. 

The petition begins: “We the FI (French Immersion) community in Bradford West Gwillimbury feel it's unreasonable and arbitrary, for the SCDSB to change the location of the French Immersion secondary program from BDHS to Nantyr Shores."

Back in the fall, the SCDSB enlisted the services of a third party provider to gather data from parents/guardians and students as to what should be considered, as they extended FI into Grade 9. But parents say that when providing information for the board, there was no indication there was going to be a change in school location. 

“In no correspondence that was shared with families did it indicate that Innisfil was going to be the location for the program,” noted the petition. 

“We strongly believe that the FI program should continue in Bradford because that’s our local high school and we want to continue learning French because we know that it will benefit us in our future. We have a right to access a French Immersion program in our community as we were previously promised,” the petition reads. 

Parent, Randi Goodis said having the program in Innisfil will affect her family "drastically," noting the long bus ride for her daughter, currently in Grade 7 at W.H. Day, would not be ideal. 

"Thirty-five minutes north will be much harder for my daughter, but she would like to remain in French," she said. 

"As with any children having to commute for school, it is a huge commitment and also decides what extracurriculars are available to your children because of travel times," said Mary Sclafani Spencer-Thompson, a parent of twin daughters in Grade 7, enrolled in FI. 

She says that both are passionate about continuing their French education, and will bus if they must, but noted, "Growing up as a farm child in rural Bradford, I know how the bus rides can be."

Sclafani Spencer-Thompson added, "Bradford is one of the biggest centres and feeder schools. Doesn't it make sense to keep it here?" 

Sidika Mukhtar says her son, also in Grade 7, is currently enrolled in the program, but that she will not send him to Innisfil. Instead, she will be looking at other French Immersion options in Newmarket. 

"We don’t go through the trouble of FI programs just to be told later that they won’t accommodate the children come high school," Mukhtar said. 

She also expressed her frustration with the process in Bradford, that includes a 'lottery system' to choose which children are accepted into the FI Program. 

"Bradford needs an elementary school just for French Immersion, and another high school all together," she said.  "In York Region, every child has a chance at French immersion not this silly lottery system. It’s very unfair."

The petition was started last week, and can be found on the change.org site here. So far there, are almost 300 signatures. 

Some parents are also planning to attend the SCDSB board meeting in Midhurst on Wednesday evening to speak out against the proposed plan. 

The parents have been discussing the issue in their Facebook group which can be found here.