The Orland High School District 230 board decided Thursday not to move forward with an Arabic curriculum, an initiative first discussed by board member Mohamed Jaber in 2023 and brought to the public in 2024.
Orland residents and other Arabic advocates have pushed for the curriculum for nearly six months, and about a dozen people attended Thursday’s meeting in support of the curriculum, including three who spoke during public comment.
But when the measure came up for a vote, no member seconded the motion, preventing the curriculum from being discussed or voted upon. Board members said in August they do not outright oppose the plan but said there are several barriers to implementing it.
Board President Lynn Zeder said the board plans to address challenges to implementing the curriculum at its next board meeting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26 at Andrew High School, 9001 W.171st St., Tinley Park.
Zeder said it has been challenging to discuss the curriculum with all the board members without breaking the Open Meetings Act, which requires any meeting with a majority of the board be open to the public. Zeder said Anita Huffman, assistant superintendent for instructional services, met with a few board members this week.
“I can tell you the hours that have already been put into this to show that we have made some progress but yet also we still have some things to overcome,” Zeder said.
Jaber said board members have had since August 2025 to ask questions and get clarity. He said he is disappointed with his fellow board members refusing to second the motion.
Jaber also said he has not seen a situation before where members demand years of discussion when it seems clear they are not committed to voting yes, regardless of how long deliberations last.
“These excuses are merely preventing us from approving Arabic as a world language and denying our students opportunities that will help them succeed,” he said Friday.
High schools in District 230 are Andrew in Tinley Park, Sandburg in Orland Park and Stagg in Palos Hills.
Several people offered solutions Thursday to the barriers the district has cited in implementing the curriculum.
Hanan Matari, a retired educator who worked for Chicago Public Schools for more than 30 years, said advocates of this program gathered 35 people who are interested in becoming certified as Arabic teachers.
Federico Luque Macías, an Arabic and Spanish teacher at Lincoln Park High School, said Thursday he is willing to help start the program and be a teacher if needed. He also said he is part of a few initiatives to certify teachers.
He cited the Qatar Foundation International, an organization the offers grant funding to support teaching of the Arabic language.
Most importantly, he said, there is a lot of community interest.
Duha Hamed, a UIC lecturer of mathematics, statistics and computer science, said Thursday her analysis shows about 34% of district students come from Arabic speaking households.
She said advocates in the Arabic community support starting the program even with a single course at one school in order to collect data on student interest and build a strong foundation.
She said even this single step is an opportunity to show thousands of Arabic district students that they really matter.
“It’s a way to connect them to their heritage as well as show them or let them see themselves reflected in their education,” she said. “This course, it’s not just a course, it’s a legacy for inclusion, for opportunity and hope. So let’s do it together.”
Huffman said in August it’s difficult to find enough teachers who are certified to teach Arabic to sustain the course, and said district officials are worried if demand significantly grows, the district might need to hire more than one full-time teacher.
She cited other challenges and said the district was reviewing factors such as student interest and state mandates.
awright@chicagotribune.com
