French immersion changes could split up siblings at northwest schools

Parents in northwest and north central Calgary are criticizing plans to change which schools their children attend for French immersion, with some siblings potentially not being allowed to attend the same school.

The Calgary Board of Education is expanding the program into two existing, English-language schools in the northwest due to "significantly high interest" in French immersion education. 

However, the expansion means younger students currently attending French immersion in primary school could see their planned middle schools change, so the CBE can seed the new classrooms with existing students.

"To start these programs … it's important that we have a cohort of students to begin," explained Carrie Edwards, director of planning and transportation for the Calgary Board of Education.

Siblings won't be able to rely on big brother

For families like Paul Tourigny's, it means giving up plans for his three children to attend school together, and frustrating scheduling problems.

Son James, 13, attends Branton School. Siblings Eric, 11, and Hillary, 9, both attend Varsity Acres primary school and were expected to graduate from their elementary school to attend the same middle school as their older brother.

• Read the proposed plan for CBE French immersion

The family's plan now has to change under the CBE proposal, with Eric and Hillary eventually moving into a different middle school, F.E. Osborne, where the board now plans to launch French immersion.

"Knowing that they're there for each other is important to us," said Tourigny.

His younger children have special needs, including Tourette's syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder, so being able to rely on their older brother in the school environment was part of the Tourigny family plan when choosing schools initially.

"It gives them one extra person to whom they can turn," said Tourigny.

The CBE would not confirm whether exceptions will be made to its policies for families that could be split up due to its proposal. Grandfathering policies included in the CBE proposals don't apply to siblings.

"We would be expecting all students who are newly designated to a new program to be attending in that new program," said Edwards.

The CBE director added that schools could potentially accept "out of attendance area" students based on available resources.

Scheduling and transportation issues, too

The newly created French immersion programs may have different schedules and start times than the existing schools, causing further issues for families such as Tourigny's. 

"One of our kids will be at one middle school, while the others will be at a different middle school with completely different start times, completely different finish times," he said.

"If you have one kid coming home at one time and a 10-year-old coming at another time, [that] directly impacts when we have to be home."

Students attending the new programs could have to catch public transit as early as 6:45 a.m. to make it to school on time, an hour earlier than what some  existing French immersion programs would require.

Consultations criticized

Dozens of affected parents have taken to Facebook to complain about the proposed changes, with hundreds more attending an open house in mid-November to express their points of view. Many are requesting the CBE provide more detailed information.

"I'd like to have access to the data," said Tourigny. "I'd like to see clearer questions when you're going to be asking me to alter the plans that I've had for my children, in terms of their education, fairly dramatically."

The board maintains it's held detailed consultations with affected parents, including the recent open house that saw about 300 people attend.

"They were asking great questions and seeking to understand what the implications were," said Edwards.

The CBE also just wrapped up an online survey on the issue and is still processing that data.

According to Edwards, the board will be looking at feedback from both the open house and the online survey and finalizing a decision by early December.

Review the CBE's proposal for French immersion changes in Northwest/Central Calgary:

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