Students trying to learn a foreign language at a Midlands elementary school are missing their teacher, after a holdup in extending her visa forced her to stop teaching before the end of the semester.
According to an email that was sent last week to parents at Midway Elementary, French immersion teacher Maria Villalobos — “Madame Vi” to her third grade class — had to step away from the class when her work visa ran out last Monday.
“As you may know, Mme Vi has been waiting on approval of her visa since May 2025,” Midway Principal Tim Carnahan wrote in the email. “She and our district’s Human Resources department have worked hard to get her application approved prior to the deadline of Monday, March 16, 2026…