Fort Worth ISD parents say they\u2019re worried about the possible closure of a school geared to helping students newly arrived in the U.S.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one of seven campuses district wide the district is looking to close in June, due to low enrollment. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why Julio Serrato selected the International Newcomer Academy<\/a> for his two daughters when they moved from Mexico.<\/p>\n \u201cShe feels comfortable, she knows where she\u2019s at,\u201d Serrato said. \u201cAnd I feel comfortable with the school, with the teachers, with everybody in here.\u201d<\/p>\n The Fort Worth ISD campus serving students in grades 6-9 is a specialized school, according to the district. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n INA is one of seven campuses the FWISD is targeting for closure at the end of the school year, citing low enrollment.<\/p>\n In documents published online, FWISD highlights the proposed update to the district\u2019s master plan, which started in September 2023 and included the consolidation of Western Hills Primary last December.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cApproval 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,\u201d according to a published executive summary.<\/p>\n Faiha Al-Atrash has worked at INA for 18 years as the parent coordinator at a campus, she added, is more than a school.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a community center, it is a family center,\u201d Al-Atrash said. \u201cI can\u2019t express how important this school is; this is a lifeline for these families.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n