TELL D219:
SUPPORT ASSYRIAN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION
Niles Township High School District 219 is a public secondary school district in the State of Illinois serving more than 4,600 students from the villages of Lincolnwood, Skokie, and parts of Morton Grove and Niles in Illinois—which are home to one of the most visible Assyrian-American communities in the United States.
Sponsors and members of the Assyrian Club at Niles North High School in Skokie, Illinois.
For years, students, parents, educators, community advocates, and other members of the District 219 community have been calling on the Board of Education and Administration to support measures to advance the establishment of an accredited Assyrian language program at Niles North High School and Niles West High School.
Offering Assyrian language instruction at D219 schools is vital:
​
-
It would enable Assyrian students to maintain their identity, become proficient in the language through daily study, and share their heritage with their peers;
-
Assyrian students who learn their language are able to maintain critical ties to their culture, affirm their identity, preserve important connections with older generations, and strengthen relations with Assyrian communities in their traditional homelands;
-
Despite some community-led initiatives, most Assyrian students in Illinois do not have access to any form of schooling in the Assyrian language;
-
Students can fulfill existing world language requirements for graduation while studying Assyrian;
-
The program would reflect District 219's values of diversity and inclusion.
Join with other District 219 students, parents, relatives, friends, and community members to urge the District 219 Board of Education and Administration to support efforts to establish an accredited Assyrian language program at D219 schools with just a few clicks.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​