SD33 supt. recommends keeping 1 French Immersion program at current site, relocating another

CHILLIWACK – Chilliwack School District Superintendent Rohan Arul-pragasam is recommending that Late French Immersion remain at Vedder Middle School following the outcome of a recent consultation with parents, in conjunction with an ongoing comprehensive enrolment and facilities review.

In a staff report ahead of Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting, Arul-pragasam says it became clear that the proposed relocation of the district’s southside Late French Immersion from Vedder Middle to Mt. Slesse Middle School elicited considerable consternation among parents and families.

“The proposed relocation of South Side Late French Immersion from Vedder Middle School to Mt. Slesse Middle School was one of the clearest areas where formal consultation influenced the recommended direction,” he wrote. “Families expressed strong and repeated concern about moving the program. Their concerns included student transitions, transportation, proximity, staffing continuity, program culture, band and music connections, and the potential weakening of a well-established French Immersion program.”

Feedback from parents clearly indicated a lack of support to move southside French Immersion from its current site of Vedder Middle.

“By contrast, there were many more comments opposing the move and supporting keeping Late French Immersion at Vedder Middle School. This is also an area where the emotional weight of the feedback matters,” Arul-pragasam said. “Families were not simply expressing preference. They were describing anxiety about children being moved mid-program, transportation arrangements falling apart, and the loss of a school community and program culture that has taken years to build. One parent response in the engagement summary described the proposed move as creating ‘deep anxiety and dread’ because of transportation and family logistics.”

There are several other school catchment and enrolment decisions on this Tuesday’s school board agenda. Arul-pragasam is encouraging trustees to approve a recommendation that students residing in the Yarrow and Greendale catchments continue to attend Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt and transition to Sardis Secondary School, except as otherwise determined through the District’s administrative procedures, while recognizing that future pathway reviews may be required based on enrolment, capacity, and other district considerations.

In another motion on this week’s agenda, with board approval and direction, Arul-pragasam and district staff plan to undertake a comprehensive review of the school catchment areas for Watson Elementary School, Unsworth Elementary School, Tyson Elementary School, and Stitó:s during the 2026-2027 school year, and to bring forward any recommended catchment adjustments to the Board, aligned with all other recommendations effective the 2027-2028 school year.

A staff report indicated based on a data review that there was not overwhelming support to keep the Watson catchment unchanged. Rather, the feedback revealed a divided community. One group of parents and families expressed concerns about changing the Watson catchment because of distance, sibling splits, disruption, and loss of the Slesse option. Conversely, another group supported a firmer Watson feeder pattern because they saw value in keeping Watson students together rather than splitting students between Vedder Middle and Mt. Slesse Middle School.

In other matters of business, the district is looking to reallocate the existing regular program at Cheam Elementary catchment by redesignating its catchment areas to Little Mountain Elementary, Strathcona Elementary, and the new East Side Elementary school, effective 2027-28.

Arul-pragasam is also asking the board to approve a district recommendation to relocate the District’s northside Early and Late French Immersion program from Chilliwack Middle School to Rosedale Traditional Middle School, recognizing that SD33 programs remain subject to future board review and decision. Based on parental input, the proposed changes to the northside French Immersion program and the future configuration of Rosedale Traditional resulted in mixed feedback. Some families believed there was a benefit in locating French Immersion in newer or reconfigured spaces and creating a more coherent pathway between elementary and middle years. Others were concerned about accessibility, transportation, equity, program vitality, and the impact of moving the program farther east.