A participant-observer case study of a school controversy, written by the superintendent involved, describes the shifting of students among several elementary schools in St. Boniface School Division, a French- and English-speaking district in Manitoba (Canada). The story begins with the closing of two schools in 1974 because of declining enrollment and the burgeoning popularity of a French-language "immersion" program for English-speaking elementary students, fast outgrowing its one school building. In the story's second phase, proposals to enlarge the immersion program's school were denied by the province, necessitating the development of alternatives to accommodate the program. The third phase involved the growing controversy among parents over the alternatives and the board's decision to shift Howden Elementary School students to other schools and replace them with immersion students. The fourth phase saw the Howden parents' strong opposition and the board's refusal to change its decision. In the aftermath, Howden switched to an immersion program and a suit brought by Howden parents failed in court. Seven propositions are examined in light of the story, concerning boards', administrators', and communities' relationship to decision-making, information dissemination, and mediation. (RW)