LEWISTON – Somali parents, many of whom got so upset that they yelled at school officials, crowded a community room Wednesday night and ticked off ways they’re unhappy with local schools.

Several parents said they were angry that a middle school teacher who worked with them for three years had been fired. They demanded to know why.

English Language Learner program Director Sue Martin, backed by other administrators, said talking about an employee publicly violated the law and it would not be discussed. “No one was fired,” Martin said.

Parents had far more questions than were answered about how long their children are in the English Language Learners program.

Jama Warsame said his sister has been in school for four years, works very hard, does what she’s supposed to, yet she is still in low-level ELL classes. He said she and other Somali students are being held back and are discouraged.

Martin said Lewiston has 871 students in its English Language Learners program, formerly called English as a Second Language. There are different levels of ELL, and it takes time for students to learn English and move to a higher level, Martin said. After students turn 20, they can’t go to high school and are encouraged to go to adult education, she said.

The good news is that a majority of ELL students, 37 of 67 at the middle school, and 70 of 90 at the high school, will move up a level by the end of this school year.

Another 21 ELL students have met all of the requirements and will graduate Friday night.

Those statistics are “amazing,” Martin said. “We must have some great teachers at Lewiston High School.”

That didn’t seem to appease parents.

One father said his children bring home forms to sign. The parents, some of whom do not know English or have had no schooling, don’t understand what they’re signing and don’t know what kind of help their children can receive.

One mother said the school teaches health education classes that go against their culture. They received a permission slip to sign, but it didn’t adequately explain what’s covered in the class. If someone told them the class covered sex education, that would be clearer, she said.

Near the end of the meeting, parents were complaining about the ELL program, teachers and discipline. Abdirisak Maalin accused Somali representative Abdi Musa of not interpreting correctly. People were yelling at the same time, making it hard for anyone to be heard, despite pleas for order.

“This is ridiculous. I’m leaving,” said Paul Amnott, assistant principal at Lewiston High School.

Finally, ELL teacher Pam Ericson broke through and got people to listen.

“It sounds like you need more help understanding what’s going on,” Ericson said. “You sound frustrated and very confused. If you have a question don’t wait four months to get your answer.”

Ericson encouraged parents to come to school to get answers in their native languages. “If your child gets suspended for four days, come to school and find out what happened. You have that right. And you won’t be so angry.”

Parents and educators “need to trust each other,” she said.

Parent Hussein Hirsi suggested that representatives for Somali parents be appointed and have regular contact with educators of ELL students. “Then we can address the concerns we have,” Hirsi said.

At that, the crowd broke out in applause.

After the meeting, Musa, who works for the School Department, blamed parents’ frustration, in part, on their new lifestyle in the United States. “There’s a lot of things going on,” he said. “People have a lot of problems, a lot of frustrations, kids’ behavior.”

But eighth-grader Khadija Hussein said ELL students aren’t being challenged academically and won’t be able to graduate. They’re given books that are too easy, which limits learning, she said.

“They tell us we’re not smart enough to do anything,” she said. “Once they go to high school, they tell them to go out because we’re old.”