Local parents give concern over notice of termination on lease agreement

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Parents are voicing their concerns after a notice of termination to a lease agreement between the Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) and the El Centro Elementary School District (ECESD).

This termination will displace more than 130 children from their early care and education programs.

On February 6, parents and ICOE were given a notice without explanation that their children would be placed at a different location.

The following sites are requested to be vacated by the end of the 2023-2024 School Year:

• One Head Start
  • Bears Head Start
• Two Early Head Start Classrooms
  • Bears Early Head Start
  • El Centro Early Head Start
• Three State Preschools in the El Centro School District
  • Little Roadrunners State Preschool
  • Little Kings State Preschool
  • Little Sneakers State Preschool

A parent who is also helping other parents says this all happened so quickly.

"The organizing  on the behave of parents just started I would say the end of last week everything has evolved very quickly for all the parents that are involved in this situation for a long time the parents kind of in the shadows with what was happening but a couple of parents got a hold of the information  kind of spread pretty quickly amongst the parents," said Kristian Salgado.

A mother we spoke to says she sent a letter to ECESD to voice her concerns and that parents have until March to decide what school their little ones will be attending.

But the parents are hoping they're not forced out and that the district can come to an agreement with the Office of Education.

She said this situation is getting difficult for her as she is a student and her child receives special classes.

“They referred my child to get into the San Diego research because he doesn’t talk it is for the speech so I don’t know what is going on or what is going to happen if they stop this program or if I am going to be available with him with more time because right now he is already taking two hours a week," said Estefania De Lira.

The Office of Education told us in an email today that they did not get any advance notice that the ECESD board would be taking this action.

We reached out to the ECESD Superintendent and we are waiting to hear back.