LAFAYETTE, La. — A possible plan to retain the pre-kindergarten French immersion program at Myrtle Place Elementary School is giving parents hope, though some also have concerns.
"French is in our blood and we want to be able to pass that on to our next generation," said Blair Broussard, who currently has one child enrolled at Myrtle Place Elementary and hopes her other children will also join the program. "I have two younger sons that I would like to be in the program as well."
In January, the Lafayette Parish School System announced the closure of schools and programs as part of its restructuring and consolidation efforts.
However, plans are being made to retain the French immersion program.
In a statement by LPSS:
"Superintendent] Touchet values the community’s feedback on PreK French Immersion at Myrtle Place Elementary and greatly appreciates the involvement of parents and organizations committed to supporting the program. Following productive discussions, LPSS is actively working on a plan to continue offering it for the 2025-2026 school year.
The public should expect an official announcement on the future of the program to be released “no later than early May,” the district noted.”
With the upcoming school year a few months away, Broussard tells KATC it doesn't leave families with many options.
"It doesn't make sense to me where they are coming from. It honestly is very frustrating, and timing-wise, yes, parents need to know now to plan for the fall. Many of the pre-K registrations have already come and gone at the end of January and February. Most parents have already registered their child for the fall," she said.
Parents advocating for the pre-K immersion program have created a petition with over 2,000 signatures.
Click here to see that.
Despite the possibility of the program being kept for this school year, Broussard and others say they won't stop advocating until it's done.
"At this point in time, that's not enough for me to stop positively putting pressure on them to bring the program back."
