Gladis Lopez Rivera, 17, has spoken Spanish her whole life.
She learned English in elementary school, leaving her Spanish at home. She felt it slowly slipping away until seventh grade, when she started Spanish immersion classes at Springfield’s Hamlin Middle School. She began learning to read and write in Spanish, strengthening her language skills and confidence in her native language.
Lopez Rivera, now a junior at Springfield High School, received news last week that Springfield Public Schools was eliminating Spanish immersion classes at the middle and high school level due to budget cuts. Acting Superintendent Jodi O’Mara sent an email to families May 19 announcing the news, citing “participation trends in the secondary dual immersion program, combined with significant districtwide financial challenges.”…