Lent School students protest losing their English Language program

VIDEO: SEE FAMILIES BRAVE THE ELEMENTS | Here’s why – in rain, sleet, and hail – students and parents walked from their school in Lents to Marysville School in Foster-Powell …

For a brief few minutes, the sun shone brightly at the south end of Lent Elementary School, as students and parents gathered for a walk in protest of moving the school’s English Language Neighborhood Program miles away.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

If the Portland Public School District (PPS) has their way, Lent Elementary School stands to lose one of two “educational tracks” that students and families have come to appreciate.

Due to the impending decision to remove the English Language Program from the neighborhood school, a student-led group called Lents Leopard Leaders decided to hold a protest walk, after school on May 18.

A volunteer parent helps organize the signs to be used in the protest.

PPS shuffles programs, students
In the process of “balancing enrollment” in outer East Portland elementary schools, such as Harrison Park, Creative Sciences, and Lane Middle School, PPS decided to close Bridger School.

PPS moved the Bridger Spanish Dual Language Immersion students to Lent School, which has an established Spanish Dual Language Immersion as well, combining those students just at Lent Elementary.

Further, they decided to move the Lent Elementary English Language Neighborhood Program to Marysville School.

Before the walk, a Lent School student in the Spanish Dual Learning Immersion Program – Rudy Duncan — explained why they’re protesting the Portland School Board actions.

“I’m a fifth-grader here at Lent School, and I am a student in the Spanish Dual Learning Immersion (SDLI) Program here,” said one of the protest walk leaders, Rudy Duncan.

“This means, SDLI students learn, write, and speak both English and Spanish in our classes,” Duncan explained.

“Even though the changes doesn’t directly affect me – where go to school, and what I learn – it still it still does affect me – it’s because we have friends here at school who are in the Lent Elementary English Language Program who will be going away; and we’ll likely not see them again in school for at least two years,” Duncan clearly stated the situation.

-4 As dark and stormy clouds roll in, parents consider having to call off the walk if the weather were to turn tempestuous.

Change effects on emotional level
“So, it’ll really affect us on an emotional level to have our family and friends and students sent to school at Marysville, about a mile and a half away,” pointed out Duncan.

“One of the reasons for our walk is to show how far it is, for these people to have to walk to Marysville from here in our neighborhood – because the district does not have proper transportation.”

A parent with the marchers told us that PPS only had a meeting with Lents families after the proposal was made three weeks ago, and didn’t explain why they think this is a good idea for the community.

“They assume little kids don’t have anything to say about their education,” the parent remarked.

This intrepid group of marchers waits out the storm.

The weather clears, and the group moves out, crossing I-205 on the Pedestrian Bridge.

Now in bright sun, the walk continues.

Rain, sleet, and hail pelted the group as there were about to leave the school. Parents waited to make a go or no-go decision – but then the sky miraculously cleared after the brief-but-fierce storm, and the march began.

They walked from the Steele Street meeting at 97th Avenue, and went over the Lents pedestrian bridge toward Lents Park. They turned right on 86th court, and walked along Raymond Street.

From there, they crossed over 82nd Avenue of Roses at the pedestrian crossing at the carwash and the International House of Pancakes, walked down SE Raymond Street, toward Marysville School.

At Marysville Elementary School, “Lents Leopard” Rudy Duncan presents his points clearly to the group. Katherine Rodela photo

At the school they gave brief speeches, gathered for photos, but – noticing the dark clouds of another storm front rolling in – they quickly marched on back to their own school, completing their 2.4 mile round-trip walk.

As promised, see families walk and chant their disenchantment with PPS about ripping away a program from their school:

Perhaps this demonstration got the attention of PPS Board Members, and conceivably could lead to a rethinking of the effect on students and families in the shuffling of students between schools.

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