Letter demands accountability from ECASD over language program controversy
Dec. 9—EAU CLAIRE — Several area advocacy groups are demanding continued accountability from the Eau Claire Area School District following a controversial decision to discontinue the schools' Hmong and Japanese language courses, which was reversed on Monday.
The reversal of the decision followed a flood of public discontent expressed during a school board meeting on Nov. 28, in which 17 members of the community and an Honorary Consul of Japan asked the district to save the programs.
Hmong and Japanese comprise the district's only two non-Western language options. Spanish, French, German and American Sign Language are the other languages currently offered.
Though the district did ultimately announce that both programs would remain available to students, the Black and Brown Womyn Power Coalition, The Social X Change Project, the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, C.C. We Adapt and the Cultivate Coalition have come together to demand further transparency and an investigation.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the groups demanded the district launch a full investigation into the process behind the initial decision to "identify where missteps occurred," to then be shared with the community; make an official statement that commits and pledges to ensure decisions like this are not made again; and identifies actionable items that will atone for the harm done to the students and teachers most impacted by the decision, as well as specific steps or plans to engage in collaboration with Black, Indigenous, People of Color communities.
"This experience has done a lot of harm for many community members, reminding us of our historical traumas," the statement reads. "The institutional harm of removing the Japanese and Hmong language courses without consultation from those most impacted at the table (students, teachers, parents and community stakeholders) not only goes against the District's own Equity Statements and Policies, but still lacks transparency in its wake."
The groups state in the letter that reparation is needed in order for trust to be rebuilt between the district and the BIPOC community.
The Eau Claire School Board dedicated a period of time during its Monday meeting to discussing ways in which its policies can be rewritten or clarified in order to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Board President Tim Nordin said issues relating to curriculum fall to administration, not the board, but action can be taken by the board if an administrative decision is deemed "unreasonable." Monday's discussion widely revolved around how the board might define "reasonable," and what steps can be taken to promote transparency from both the board and administration.
Though no action was taken at the time, Nordin said the topic would be revisited at a later meeting date.
Commissioner Phil Lyons suggested collaboration with the community is what makes a decision reasonable, and should therefore be prioritized when taking next steps with regard to the district's World Languages program.
"We need a partnership from the community to build these programs up," Lyons said. "Let's not pretend now that the task is done. ... The community spoke, the board heard, and at the end of the day I think the right decisions are being made."
