Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Hmong Community Tells Clovis Schools Trustees: Don't Cancel Our Language Classes
By admin
Published 1 year ago on
August 17, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

More than 100 parents, students, and community activists — many wearing traditional Hmong clothing and necklaces — implored the Clovis Unified School Board on Wednesday not to allow the cancellation of Hmong language elective classes at Buchanan and Clovis high schools this fall.

Concerns arose when the former teacher, Vicky Xiong-Lor, resigned after a 25-year career to teach at Fresno State and the district made no move to replace her.

Xiong-Lor had been splitting her teaching time between Buchanan and Clovis high schools, working part-time at each school.

Clovis East, which has a sizable population of Hmong students, has a full-time Hmong language teacher.

Students told the School Board about how the language classes had given them the fluency to be able to speak with older relatives. In addition, they are able to learn more about what their parents and grandparents endured in their journey to America from southeast Asia, where the Hmong sided with U.S. forces against the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.

It’s an equity issue as well as an educational issue, said Katie Moua, director of Hmong Innovating Politics, a Sacramento-based nonprofit.

“By canceling these courses and not fully investing in them, Clovis Unified is doing a large disservice to the whole community,” Moua said.

“It is really disappointing to see a school district that benefits from Hmong students and families so easily cancel our Hmong classes and spaces for students to not only learn about the language but to engage in learning about Hmong culture and history. The move to cancel these Hmong language classes is inequitable and further perpetuates the historical trauma we face as a refugee community.”

Classes Not Canceled

After hearing the public comment, Superintendent Corrine Folmer reassured the audience that the district isn’t canceling the classes and is in the process of finding Xiong-Lor’s replacement.

She started out by apologizing that the district had not done a good enough job communicating “about how we staff and assess our elective offerings at the high school level, and I commit that we will do better about that.”

But Folmer noted that the students and parents could give the elective classes a boost if more students registered for them to reflect the interest that was obvious at Wednesday’s School Board meeting.

“You being here tonight indicates that there may be a greater need than what is coming forward through our registration process,” she said.

Hmong is not the only elective language with a teacher’s time split between two schools, she said. That’s also happening with Chinese language classes.

Adjusting Class Schedules

The district continues to review student interest, district resources, and scheduling when evaluating courses, Folmer said. And to make sure that students at one school don’t have to wait in another teacher’s classroom for the arrival of their Hmong language teacher, the district will schedule Hmong classes at one school in the morning and the other school in the afternoon, she said.

Clovis Unified did not hire Xiong-Lor’s replacement immediately because it was following a process that’s been in effect for some time after a teacher leaves, which is to conduct an analysis on whether to hire someone full-time, part-time, or discontinue a class, district spokeswoman Kelly Avants said.

“That process took place over summer and included reviewing the number of requests we had at the two schools for Hmong language classes from students during our early spring registration,” Avants said. “We had a low number of requests that required further discussion that concluded with the decision to hire for the position with the intent to also develop a plan to encourage interest in the classes in the future.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Augillard, Douglas Lead the Way as Bulldogs Rally Past Long Beach State

DON'T MISS

Israel Strikes Without Warning in Beirut, Kills at Least 15 as Cease-Fire Sought

DON'T MISS

Trump Taps Rollins as Ag Chief in Final Cabinet Pick

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Becomes Bowl Eligible, Defeats Colorado State on Senior Night

DON'T MISS

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

DON'T MISS

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

DON'T MISS

As Atmospheric River Soaks California, Farmworkers Await Flood Aid Promised in 2023

DON'T MISS

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

DON'T MISS

Nations at UN Climate Talks Agree on $300B a Year for Poor Countries in a Compromise Deal

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s Pick for Labor Secretary

UP NEXT

Dolly Parton’s Wish? For Fresno County Children to Read

UP NEXT

Fresno School Employees Say District’s Job Shifts Endanger Kids and Staff

UP NEXT

Fresno State Gets $500K Grant for Students Facing Homelessness

UP NEXT

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

UP NEXT

Republicans Target Social Sciences to Curb Ideas They Don’t Like

UP NEXT

Conservative Professors and Students Are Beating CA Community Colleges in Court

UP NEXT

Classes for Cannabis? UC Merced Extension Launching Weed Workforce Training

UP NEXT

Who Are Fresno State’s ‘Heroes’ in Health and Human Services Services?

UP NEXT

Fewer Kids Are Going to California Public Schools. Is There a Right Way to Close Campuses?

UP NEXT

Reedley College Celebrates Opening of Gleaming New Performing Arts Center

Fresno State Becomes Bowl Eligible, Defeats Colorado State on Senior Night

12 hours ago

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

14 hours ago

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

14 hours ago

As Atmospheric River Soaks California, Farmworkers Await Flood Aid Promised in 2023

16 hours ago

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

16 hours ago

Nations at UN Climate Talks Agree on $300B a Year for Poor Countries in a Compromise Deal

1 day ago

What to Know About Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s Pick for Labor Secretary

1 day ago

What to Know About Scott Turner, Trump’s Pick for Housing Secretary

1 day ago

Trump Taps Investor Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary

1 day ago

NATO Head and Trump Meet in Florida for Talks on Global Security

2 days ago

Augillard, Douglas Lead the Way as Bulldogs Rally Past Long Beach State

LONG BEACH — Amar Augillard led Fresno State with 25 points and David Douglas Jr. made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 42 seconds left as the Bull...

11 hours ago

11 hours ago

Augillard, Douglas Lead the Way as Bulldogs Rally Past Long Beach State

11 hours ago

Israel Strikes Without Warning in Beirut, Kills at Least 15 as Cease-Fire Sought

11 hours ago

Trump Taps Rollins as Ag Chief in Final Cabinet Pick

12 hours ago

Fresno State Becomes Bowl Eligible, Defeats Colorado State on Senior Night

14 hours ago

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

14 hours ago

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

16 hours ago

As Atmospheric River Soaks California, Farmworkers Await Flood Aid Promised in 2023

16 hours ago

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend