There's been a request from a pair of Vita parents to have their children withdraw from grade seven Basic French classes at Shevchenko School. Border Land School Division Superintendent Krista Curry explains the request comes on the heels of the implementation of a Ukrainian language program at the school.

"As you know, the program was supported by the Board to be offered as an additional language option for a one year pilot during the lunch hour every second day," and based on this agreement Curry says the Board had a discussion last week and reached a decision on the requests.

"Basic French is part of the five and a half hour instructional day that is offered to students in Border Land School Division so they should be remaining in Basic French class, and if they opt into the Ukrainian as a second option for language then that is a choice that they are making."

When making this decision, Curry adds trustees also factored in the fact that the Ukrainian program is a pilot project.

"If students are withdrawing from Basic French at this point in time and they miss a year of that instruction, and then next year if Ukrainian Language isn't offered as an option, they kids are then going back into Basic French and they've missed a year of learning outcomes."

She adds the second language that is offered for grade four to eight students in Border Land School is Basic French, and so trustees were also worried what approving this request would do system-wide.

"What does that look like and what type of precedent are we setting when it's something that's being offered a secondary option?"

Overall, based on original reports, Curry says the Ukrainian Language program is going well at Shevchenko.

"For all intents and purposes the original reports that we're hearing back are that things are going great, the kids are enjoying it (and) the instructor is doing a great job."

She explains all of this feedback will be reviewed by the Board during the budget period to determine the next steps for the program in 2016/17.