Valentina Matariyeh, a seventh grader who will attend Orland High School District 230, said she’s worried she doesn’t know enough of the Arabic language to communicate with her grandparents, who only speak the language and are visiting soon from overseas.

She spoke Arabic in her day care days, but lost some of the skill in adjusting to speaking English in schools. While she takes two-hour Arabic lessons every week, her mother, Lena Matariyeh, who also took private Arabic lessons growing up, said it’s been hard to coordinate lessons online with teachers who live halfway across the world.

As Valentina looks to attend high school, a coalition of other Arabic community members are advocating that District 230 consider adding Arabic to its world languages. Valentina said taking the course in school would help her learn the language, as it would be in person with others and wouldn’t conflict with her family’s busy schedule.

While District 230 officials do not outright oppose the idea, it’s hard to find Arabic instructors who can commit to a four-year language program that covers a wide variety of skill levels, according to board member Chris Kasmer’s education committee report presented at Thursday board meeting.

Anita Huffman, assistant superintendent for instructional services, said Friday there are only 12 instructors actively teaching Arabic with a certification in the state, according to her research. Huffman said if demand for the course significantly grows, the district might need to hire more than one full-time teacher.

Huffman also said committing to a four-year language program has significant post-secondary implications, as many highly selective universities strongly recommend or require students to have completed four years of a single language as part of a competitive application.

She said she does not want potential staffing challenges that could restrict the number of Arabic language levels the district could offer to affect a student’s college application.

Huffman also said the district is reviewing factors that make a curriculum successful, such as student and teacher interest and state mandates.

“Obviously offering new courses, they’re an exciting prospect. They offer a lot of benefit for students,” Huffman said. “But unlike many subjects that can be taught in a single year, language acquisition requires sustained engagement over time.”

The discussion to add Arabic was first introduced by board member Mohammed Jaber and has been ongoing for over a year.

District 230 board member Mohammed Jaber speaks in support of adding Arabic to the district’s world languages curriculum during a board meeting on Aug. 28, 2025. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)

Jaber, the first District 230 board member of Arab background, said the curriculum is personal to him and he said the district’s Arab population is growing, at about 30%, according to his analysis of graduation data. A significant number of businesses owned by Arab families contribute a lot to the district, he said.

“It’s deeply important to me, because for so many years, people have stereotyped us, and I think it’s a lack of education in our public schools,” Jaber said.

The district is made up of Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Andrew High School in Tinley Park and Stagg High School in Stagg High School in Palos Hills.

Jaber pointed to other districts that successfully implemented Arabic language programs, such as Oak Lawn High School that added it in 2019. He said he would like to see District 230 take a vote on the curriculum this year.

Areej Malley, a District 230 parent, said much of the local Arab community includes multiple generations removed from their heritage and speak English primarily, so they turn to weeknight and weekend private schools to educate their children on Arabic. But these schools are typically have wait lists, Malley said.

She also said learning Arabic opens the mind to learning more about the Middle East, which fosters more collaboration and life skills that students need.

Areej Malley, a District 230 parent, speaks in support of adding Arabic to the district’s world languages curriculum at the board meeting on Aug. 28, 2025. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)

Lena Matariyeh, who grew up taking Arabic lessons with Malley and is an Orland Township trustee, said the language requires skills such as rolling the “r,” which teach students to “stretch their words, their minds and their ability to write.”

Education on the language could also foster connection, helping students pronounce each other’s names and sharing Arabic culture such as food, music, poetry and art, Matariyeh said.

“When you read poetry in it, the way it flows, it’s beautiful, the songs, the way they’re sung, many of the sayings, they can’t be translated to English,” she said. “Learning it, it gives more respect to the culture, the language, which is a big part of this area, but also a big part of the world.”

Lena Matariyeh, an Orland Township trustee, sits at a District 230 board meeting with her daughter Valentina Matariyeh in support of adding Arabic to the district’s curriculum. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)

Huffman said the process for adding a language to curriculum starts with research conducted by the world languages department chairs. This includes visiting schools, consulting instructors, surveying students, defining the target audience, creating a course outline, estimating success and enrollment, anticipating challenges and solutions, assessing the affect on other courses, reviewing qualified staff, considering post-secondary effects and explaining the course’s needs and how they were identified.

The department’s evaluation would then be proposed to the district’s curriculum advisory committee, made up of administrators and teachers from various schools and departments. The committee gives feedback that informs their recommendation on the curriculum to the board. Then, the board can take a vote to approve or disprove the curriculum proposal.

The district already offers four-year courses in Spanish, German, French and Latin, she said.

The district is also considering adding a social studies course on the history of the modern Middle East, which Huffman said has student interest.

Department chairs are working with teachers to bring together a course proposal for the social studies course, which would be designed to promote inclusivity, representation and a culture exchange and understanding among students, Huffman said.

Unlike the Arabic language course, this course does not require teachers to have any additional certifications, which makes it easier to implement, Huffman said. She said there are current District instructors who could teach the course.

Several board members said Thursday that approving new curriculum is a matter of waiting for a researched proposal from the curriculum advisory committee and said there’s not much the board can do in the meantime.

awright@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/29/orland-district-230-board-arabic-curriculum/