NEWS

February 7, 2020

Board Votes to Postpone School Opening to August 2021

Dear Stakeholders of Academie Sunset:

We would like to thank you for the continued support of our school. Our team has been working for nearly four years to make Académie Franco-louisianaise de Sunset a reality, and our ultimate mission and vision is to provide a quality French immersion education for all students in St. Landry Parish.

All educational institutions have been affected by COVID-19, and unfortunately, our school is no different. After careful discussion and consideration, the board has made the difficult decision to postpone the opening of Académie Franco-louisianaise de Sunset to August 2021 instead of August 2020.

We have no control over the restrictions COVID-19 has placed and will continue to place on large-scale (local, state, and international) decision making. Due to this, we cannot ensure that the school’s mission and vision will not be compromised while we wait for this new normal to settle. And while we are so excited to bring this French-immersion opportunity to St. Landry Parish, we simply do not feel that we can move forward unless we are absolutely certain that your students will have the highest level of education and experience.

Although there were some minor factors to consider, the most major roadblock was this: A French immersion school principally depends on foreign teachers to educate our students. As of now, the borders are closed, and no one knows when those borders will be open. It would have been irresponsible to hope that the borders would open on time because if they did not, then we would have had no one to teach our children.

So, what now?

We will continue to work with St. Landry Parish Schools to create a smooth opening for the 2021-2022 school year. We will continue to stay in contact with you over the next 16 months, and when the time comes to apply for the 2021-2022 school year, we hope you will yet again submit an application for your student.
We will plan to open the 2021-2022 school year with grades K - 2 so that those who applied as first graders will have the option to join as 2nd graders.
All parents who officially applied will receive this same information via US Mail, plus a member of our board will call you directly in case you have any questions. Additionally, registration packets will be mailed back to all who have submitted them so that your documentation remains secure.

The board hopes that you understand their position, and we cannot wait to see you at the opening of Académie Franco-Louisianaise de Sunset in August of 2021.

Sincerely,

The AFS Board and Advisory Council