Parents, students and residents urged the school board during a public hearing to preserve the Spanish Dual Language Immersion (DLI) secondary pathway and to rethink proposed boundary changes that would move DLI students from Ridgeline to Mountain Crest and alter feeder patterns, citing long bus rides, separation of peers and looming registration deadlines.

Speakers said the changes would make continuing in DLI difficult for many families and asked the board for alternatives or compromises. “I love being part of DLI. Learning a lot now when the schools are far from home,” an eighth-grade student said during public comment. Amanda Jeffrey, a parent, said her family moved specifically to continue in the Spanish immersion program and asked the district to allow students to remain in the program: “We very much want them to continue.”

The discussion matters because parents said the proposed boundaries could increase travel time, reduce students' time for homework and extracurriculars, and separate friend groups that have formed in current DLI cohorts. Multiple speakers described longer commutes and difficulty coordinating activities if students are assigned to different middle or high schools. One speaker said families sometimes face “two and a half hours” of travel time because schools would be farther apart.

Speakers identified specific schools and neighborhoods affected, including Ridgeline, Mountain Crest, Nibley Middle School, South Cache, Heritage, Lincoln and Providence. Several parents asked the board to preserve proximity between students in the same DLI “bubble” and to avoid abrupt changes before registration. Holmes, a parent, noted the district’s Aug. 7 study session and said registration is scheduled for January, asking the board to “avoid any abrupt changes” to give families time to plan.

Public commenters asked the board for (1) clear, equitable secondary pathways so current DLI students can continue through middle and high school without excessive travel; (2) transportation planning that prevents excessive bus times; and (3) notice of final boundary decisions before January registration. Speakers described the changes as especially disruptive for families who work and for students who rely on neighborhood supports.

The record of the hearing shows community concern but no formal board action or vote on the boundaries at the public comment portion. The district took public input on the secondary DLI pathway and on elementary boundary planning during the same hearing; board members thanked commenters and moved on in the agenda after closing the public comment period.

Next steps and any formal motions or staff recommendations were not decided during the public comment period and were not recorded as votes in the hearing transcript. The board will receive public comments as part of its boundary review process before any final decision is made.