Colorado JAE facebookcom/IAFCO rbuNuAnoN commuu Press Release Monday. October 1, 2018 Contact: Trish Ramsey, SD14 Classroom Teachers Association 7 -- Laura Martinez, Our Lady Mother of the Church Parish -- Adams 14 parents, teachers gain support for extending bilingual education. A network of parents, teachers and allies organized with the Colorado IAF made another step towards improving the Adams i4 district. The Board of Education has supported a community proposal to extend bilingual education through grade, directing Superintendent Abrego to reverse his decision to cut this popular program at the 3'd grade. "Bilingual education helped me succeed," said Laura Martinez, a member of Our Lady Mother ofthe Church parish and leader with the Colorado IAF, "and we know that children do better academically if they have strong foundations in their native language. The parents that worked very hard on this are grateful that the Board made the right decision and we look fonzvard to cooperating with teachers, principals and the administration to make it happen." "Our district has the highest rate of Englishelanguage learners," said Trish Ramsey, a teacher at Adams City Middle School and member of the Classroom Teachers Association; "it made no sense to take away a successful program, especially when the Office of Civil Rights clearly indicated that Adams 14 had to better serve its students and parents." IAF leaders in Commerce City have conducted hundreds of 'l:1 and small group conversations with parents and teachers over the last ten months. In addition to extending bilingual educafian, this effort has resulted in reinstafing recess for elementary students, remming parenflteacher conferences to the calendar, and ensuring parents' pam'cipafian in the calendar committee. Colorado is a broad based, nonrpartisan network of organizations, affiliated with the Industrial Areas Foundation, the oldest and largest community organizing network in the country. IAF projects organize for social justice in their local communities. MM