A Petition to Keep Dolphin Bay Elementary Open

To the Broward County School Board and District Leadership:

We, the parents, families, teachers, staff, and community members of Dolphin Bay Elementary, respectfully ask the Broward County School Board and District Leadership to reconsider Dolphin Bay Elementary as one of the schools being considered for closure.

We are asking you to look beyond enrollment numbers, budgets, buildings, and boundaries and consider what would truly be lost if Dolphin Bay Elementary were to close.

Dolphin Bay is an A-rated school, but what makes our school exceptional cannot be measured by a school grade alone.

It is the teachers who know our children by name and genuinely care about their success.

It is the staff members who greet our families each day.

It is the friendships our children have built, the relationships between parents and teachers, and the extraordinary sense of community that has been created over many years.

OUR CHILDREN ARE MORE THAN NUMBERS

As adults, it can be easy to look at enrollment numbers, budgets, buildings, and boundaries on paper.

But our children do not experience their school on paper.

They know their classrooms.

They know their teachers.

They know the staff members in the hallways.

They know where they sit at lunch.

They know the playground.

They know their friends.

They know the faces that greet them every morning.

They know Dolphin Bay as their home away from home.

Our children feel safe because Dolphin Bay is familiar. They feel connected. They feel supported. Most importantly, they are happy there.

There is something incredibly special about having children who genuinely enjoy going to school. That sense of security and belonging cannot simply be recreated by assigning them to another building.

WE WERE NOT GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND OR CONSIDER THE PROPOSED REASSIGNMENT

One of the greatest concerns among Dolphin Bay families is that we were not aware that Glades Middle had already been identified and voted on as the school to which our students would be sent as part of this proposed closure.

Families should have a meaningful opportunity to understand where their children would go, how the transition would work, what programs and services would be available, and how the change would specifically affect their children before such a significant decision is made.

We respectfully ask the School Board and District Leadership to listen to the families who would actually be living with the consequences of this decision every day.

We also want to be very clear: many Dolphin Bay families do not intend to send their children to Glades Elementary if Dolphin Bay closes.

This is not a decision we make lightly. We recognize that Glades is a school serving children and families in our community, and we respect the educators and students there.

Our concern is whether Glades is the right placement for the children currently thriving at Dolphin Bay.

Dolphin Bay provides a safe, inclusive, supportive environment where students with different learning needs are welcomed, known, and supported. This is particularly important for our ESE students and their families, who should not be expected to simply accept a change in school environment without fully understanding how their children's individual educational, social, and emotional needs will be supported.

For families of children receiving ESE services, continuity matters. Relationships with teachers and staff matter. Familiar routines matter. A sense of safety and belonging matters.

We do not believe these needs can be reduced to a boundary line or enrollment number.

Our children deserve more than a reassignment on a map. They deserve a thoughtful transition, a school environment where they feel safe and included, and a placement that truly meets their individual needs.

If Dolphin Bay closes, families should not be surprised to see many choose other educational options rather than send their children to the assigned school. That outcome could further impact enrollment and should be considered when evaluating whether closing Dolphin Bay is truly the best solution.

CLOSING DOLPHIN BAY WOULD HAVE A REAL IMPACT ON OUR CHILDREN

Closing Dolphin Bay Elementary would unnecessarily disrupt the lives of children who are currently thriving.

It would separate friendships, change routines, divide a close-knit community, and introduce anxiety and uncertainty into the lives of young children who may not understand why the school they know, and love suddenly has to disappear.

Our families have built a community here.

We support our teachers.

We support our administration.

We support our PTA.

We show up for our events.

And, most importantly, we support one another.

Dolphin Bay is not simply a building where our children attend classes.

It is their school.

It is their community.

It is where they feel they belong.

WE ARE ASKING YOU TO SEE DOLPHIN BAY BEFORE MAKING THIS DECISION

We understand that Broward County Public Schools is facing difficult decisions and that many factors must be considered.

But we respectfully ask the School Board and District Leadership to look beyond the numbers when evaluating Dolphin Bay Elementary.

Come see our school.

Speak with our teachers.

Speak with our staff.

Speak with our parents.

Watch our children walk through the doors in the morning.

See the relationships that exist here.

See the community that has been built here.

See what Dolphin Bay means to the families who call this school home before making a decision that cannot easily be undone.

Closing a successful, A-rated school with an extraordinary principal, dedicated teachers and staff, happy children, involved families, and a strong community would be a tremendous loss.

OUR REQUEST

We respectfully ask the Broward County School Board and District Leadership to remove Dolphin Bay Elementary from consideration for closure and allow our school to remain open.

Please allow our children to continue learning, growing, building friendships, and feeling safe in the school they know and love.

We believe Dolphin Bay Elementary is worth protecting.

We believe this community is worth preserving.

And we believe our children's voices, educational needs, and well-being deserve to be part of this decision.

PLEASE STAND WITH US.

If you believe Dolphin Bay Elementary should remain open, please sign this petition and join us in asking Broward County Public Schools to SAVE DOLPHIN BAY ELEMENTARY.