Fort Worth ISD parents say they’re worried about the possible closure of a school geared to helping students newly arrived in the U.S.
It’s one of seven campuses district wide the district is looking to close in June, due to low enrollment.
The International Newcomer Academy (INA) in southeast Fort Worth opened in 1992, with an emphasis on providing language fluency for students who do not speak English upon arriving in the U.S.
It’s why Julio Serrato selected the International Newcomer Academy for his two daughters when they moved from Mexico.
“She feels comfortable, she knows where she’s at,” Serrato said. “And I feel comfortable with the school, with the teachers, with everybody in here.”
The Fort Worth ISD campus serving students in grades 6-9 is a specialized school, according to the district.
Serrato said he was one of dozens of families at a meeting held earlier this week with district administrators on the possible closure of the school.
INA is one of seven campuses the FWISD is targeting for closure at the end of the school year, citing low enrollment.
In documents published online, FWISD highlights the proposed update to the district’s master plan, which started in September 2023 and included the consolidation of Western Hills Primary last December.
“Approval of the updated facility master plan is requested in order to ensure optimal resource allocation and allow us to make informed decisions on strategic maintenance initiatives to improve the condition of remaining facilities,” according to a published executive summary.
Faiha Al-Atrash has worked at INA for 18 years as the parent coordinator at a campus, she added, is more than a school.
“It is a community center, it is a family center,” Al-Atrash said. “I can’t express how important this school is; this is a lifeline for these families.”
The move to close INA comes amid a recent TEA takeover, which led to a state-appointed superintendent and a board of managers to run the state’s 10th-largest district.
For now, the move to close INA is on the agenda for the next school board meeting on April 28, when a vote is expected.
Al-Atrash hopes a meeting the district held with parents earlier this week will help shape some of the discussion next Tuesday, and potentially the future for hundreds of families.
“I hope they see what we have seen for 34 years in this school and that is, this school is fundamental,” Al-Atrash said. “It’s vital for every newcomer arriving to Dallas / Fort Worth.”
“The community sees our mission; they understand our mission, but I am hoping the new administration of Fort Worth ISD sees our mission as well.”
Serrato added that now is not the time to close INA, but for the district to reinvest and bring more English emergent students from around the district to the campus.
“Invest right now and you’re going to get results in the future,” Serrato said.