The Harnett County School Board of Education decided that seven of the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs offered in their rural public schools will be abruptly closed at the end of this academic year without consulting families, principals,  teachers, or community members. On March 2, 2026, during their monthly meeting, Mr. Chris Pearson, the Assistant Superintendent for Auxiliary Services, shared with the Harnett County Board of Education (BOE) that the district would be “phasing out” those programs, following the closure in Boone Trail Elementary. 

The rationale provided by Pearson was that “the original thought [...] was language acquisition for English speakers has shifted very heavily toward native speakers being in that program, and, in reality, we’re not preparing them for developing the second language as they need to if they are a native speaker in that program.” The term “native” allegedly refers to native speakers of Spanish learning English as an additional language. 

Soon after this meeting, families received a letter from principals that Dr. Steven C. Murphy, Director of Grades 6-8/Title III/ESL, shared with them. Instead of a true “phasing out” process, which would take place over a six-year period, parents were presented with two options:

Transfer their student(s) to the schools in the district that will continue offering the program (Dunn Elementary School, Dunn Middle School, Highland Elementary, or Highland Middle School); however, families would be responsible for providing transportation to those schools; or
Keep their student(s) at their current school, but parents would have to sign a letter acknowledging that their child will no longer participate in the DLI program. 
The Harnett County School Board's decision to close four elementary schools and three middle schools' Dual Language Immersion programs pains this rural community. These programs are more than just an educational tool. They are vital for social mobility, opening doors to greater employment opportunities, and offering higher earning potential for students in rural areas where access to enrichment opportunities is already limited. Beyond the tangible benefits, learning multiple languages enriches our lives by fostering deeper cultural understanding and stronger connections within our diverse community. 

Parents, students, teachers, and experts filled the Harnett County School Board room on March 30th, presenting valid reasons to oppose the closure of the programs, but received no clear answers and heard inaccurate data shared. More than 20 people registered to make public comments, but only 6 had the opportunity to speak for 3 minutes each. Moreover, the speeches of most of the speakers were not broadcast on the HCS YouTube Channel, and no record of them was included in the meeting minutes. The community wants to know the names of the board members who supported this decision and have sent letters and emails that have gone unanswered. As of April 1st, the only member of the board who has replied to their petitions is Sharon Gainey; however, she only acknowledges receiving and reading the email.   
This arbitrary decision is also affecting the work stability of teachers in the program, especially those who are bilingual. The two elementary schools in which the program will be offered, if the board continues with the closures, will not offer enough vacancies for all the educators who are currently distributed across 7 schools. The program's continuity in middle school is also uncertain, and the decision ignores the economic and academic impact of earning credits in advance, as well as the growing opportunities the program fosters. For example, middle school students from Harnett County joined peers from across North Carolina on Thursday, March 5, 2026, to participate in Conexiones para la Acción Diplomática (CAD), a Spanish-language global diplomacy simulation hosted by Participate Learning at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 

More than sixty years of research, beginning with the Coral Way program in 1962, demonstrate the powerful impact of dual language programs on student success. Studies published in numerous academic journals, including data from North Carolina students, show that students in these programs outperform their peers in traditional school settings and are more likely to graduate from high school. By the time they graduate, students also achieve bilingualism, an increasingly valuable asset in today’s global economy, and are biliterate. Students in Harnett County deserve innovative and inclusive teaching programs that ensure all students have equal opportunities and access to high quality education to thrive. Eliminating DLI undermines the educational achievement goals our county strives for. In addition, maintaining dual language programs significantly improves English learners' proficiency, making them more successful in other academic areas while also providing language acquisition for monolingual speakers, thereby improving their educational and professional career opportunities.

Our goal is clear: we demand that the Harnett County School Board keep Dual Language Immersion programs intact in the public schools where they are currently offered. We urge the Board to consider the negative impacts of this abrupt closure on more than 1,000 students and their families, as well as the long-term benefits these programs provide not only to individual students but also to our rural community as a whole. Additionally, we ask the school board to communicate with families, teachers, and experts about who made the decision to close the programs in four elementary and three middle schools and acknowledge that the options they are giving are unrealistic: being forced to drive students 20-40 minutes twice each day to a different school because no transportation is provided or trying to replace 3 years of in person instruction in middle school with an unknown virtual program.-l.

The families of DLI students in Harnett County ask you to stand with us for the future of our children and our community. Let us strengthen our commitment to language acquisition and education by preserving the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs. Sign this petition to show your support and send a message to the Harnett County School Board that dual language education is vital for our community’s continued growth and development. Together, let’s keep our schools innovative and remind the school board to work together with the community and families they serve to preserve and strengthen programs that benefit everyone.