Alpine School District Board of Education members got an earful during their meeting Tuesday night.

For months, there’s been a feeling of uncertainty among parents in the district with students who attend Lindon Elementary School and Windsor Elementary in Orem.

In a meeting Sept. 10, the school board initiated a 90-day study looking at the impact of the district’s Advance Learning Lab and Dual Language Immersion programs, also called ALL and DLI, as well as boundary adjustments and possible school closures.

The district previously studied both programs and recommended changes that would have taken effect next school year. However, as Superintendent Shane Farnsworth explained, due to a change in legislation, any adjustments to the programs need to be approved by the Board of Education.

In order to keep to their timeline of program changes for the fall of 2025, the final decision must be made by next month. Farnsworth recommended at that meeting that the board begin the formal study period to align with guidelines set by the state.

Amid the potential impacts recommended in the study is a closure of Lindon Elementary. In that scenario, non-ALL students would move to Rocky Mountain Elementary School, and the program itself possibly would shift to another nearby elementary school.

Windsor Elementary also could be on the chopping block. In this case, a DLI magnet program would be created at Orchard Elementary. It’s likely Northridge Elementary also would see a bump in enrollment of students coming from Windsor, according to initial data from the study.

The board also could choose to keep both schools open with supplemented funding and resources to keep the facilities operational.

Both Lindon and Windsor were studied for closure last year, but the board ultimately decided to press pause on the move at that time.

Tuesday was the third in a series of public hearing sessions on the issues.

More than a dozen citizens spoke about each potential closure, primarily opposing any school closures at this time.

Brady Horton, a father of six children, three of whom attend Lindon Elementary, spoke out against closing the school. He referenced past threats from the board to close Lindon Elementary due to various factors.

He said he feels that such a decision should be delayed until new board members are elected in the wake of preliminary results from last week’s election to split the district.

“Please give the new district to be formed from Orem, Lindon and Pleasant Grove the opportunity to make important community, facility and program decisions,” Horton said to members of the board. “Delaying this process will allow those who will be most impacted in the long term to make the decision.”

Unofficial results from the general election show voters approved both Propositions 11 and 14, creating two new districts in different parts of the current Alpine School District.

Voters in Lindon, Orem, Pleasant Grove and Vineyard did not vote to split away from Alpine School District, as their city councils chose not to enter into interlocal agreements like other bodies to the north and west.

However, a new district encompassing those leftover cities will be formed by default.

Shandra Mueller works as an aide at Rocky Mountain Elementary School and claimed that the school already is overcrowded. She noted a lack of bathrooms and just enough room on the school’s playground to accommodate students at recess.

She said she fears the closure of Lindon Elementary would have negative impacts on Rocky Mountain Elementary, from crowded hallways to possibly the need to set up trailers outside of the building for additional students.

“We use the entire amount of the playground that those kids have, and putting trailers on all of that asphalt just diminishes the amount of things that they’re able to do,” Mueller told the board.

Parent Cassie Haldeman also likes the idea of pausing the decision until after new school board members have been elected.

She also acknowledged that the Lindon facility is aging, but added that she wants to see a solution that poses the least amount of disruption for students.

“If closing Lindon (Elementary) is imminent, I do have some ideas of how to make these changes less disruptive for the students in our area. First, let Lindon Elementary move together as a whole, including ALL, which is well-integrated into our school,” Haldeman suggested.

Residents representing Orem and Windsor Elementary also advocated for pausing the study.

Jill Turner, a parent, opposes the creation of the DLI magnet site and the proposed boundary changes that would lead to Windsor’s closure.

She also spoke to stable enrollment at the school and its unique, diverse population.

“Other schools in our area do not have the same diverse population or expertise in working with such a population. Closing our school and relocating students would erase the valuable progress we’ve made, which will set our students back considerably,” Turner said.

Orem City Council member Jenn Gale also addressed the board. While she thanked them for their services and recognized the difficult decision at hand, she asked that the discussion be tabled.

“Disrupting the students in Lindon and Orem twice in such a short amount of time feels like an unfair burden to place upon these students and these communities,” Gale said.

Essentially, no one Tuesday night spoke in support of closing either school or having the special programs removed.

Board President Sara Hacken thanked all of those who shared their input and said a final decision will be made at their meeting Dec. 17.

Alpine School District officials say they are mindful of the approval of Propositions 11 and 14 and they realize that many community members would prefer that future school boards consider these issues.

They also encourage parents and other community members to continue making their voices heard on the potential impacts of these two schools.

“The Board will continue to study options that include the closure of Lindon and Windsor Elementary Schools. There are many variables that will influence their final decision,” district spokesperson Rich Stowell said in an emailed statement. “In addition to their obligation to provide students at those schools the best programs and opportunities, they will take into account safety and cost associated with older facilities.”