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The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) requires that translation and interpretation services are the obligation of the entire local educational agency (LEA) and do not solely fall under Title III. LEAs are responsible for effectively communicating with families who may require translation or interpretation services. To assist LEAs in determining communication languages for families, the newly implemented Enrollment Survey (ES) has a section that will be completed annually by families to determine their preferred oral and written communication language(s). This portion of the ES is not used to determine if students are eligible for MLP services.
Each LEA must have a written translation and interpretation plan in place and it is posted on the district’s website to ensure it is easily accessible to all staff and families. Districts should review and consider OCR requirements and federal guidance (e.g., Chapter 10 of the EL Toolkit) regarding translation and interpretation services when developing a written plan. All staff members in each district should be trained on district translation and interpretation procedures and services. Consider providing additional training specific for front office staff and those who will be utilizing translation and interpretation services more often.
Considerations include, but are not limited to:
• The LEA determines the qualifications to ensure translators and interpreters are qualified. Interpreters and translators must have knowledge in both languages of any specialized terms or concepts and be trained on the role of an interpreter and translator, the ethics of interpreting and translating, and the need to maintain confidentiality.
• Students may not act as translators or interpreters.
• LEAs determine a way to track translation and interpretation requests as documentation, specifically for LEAs that are not contracted with a vendor for these services.
• Procedures must be in place indicating how parents/guardians, who may be MLs themselves, will be notified of school activities that are called to the attention of other parents/guardians (e.g., student progress reports, school schedules, extracurricular activities, special meetings, ceremonies, events, etc.).
• District webpages and documents should be translated into applicable languages within the LEA. If applicable, a warning that automated translations may be inaccurate should be posted on the district website.
• All guidance from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Office of Special Education Services (OSES) must be followed in reference to translation and interpretation services for students with disabilities and individualized education programs (IEPs).
Visit the SCDE ESEA, Title III Multilingual Learner and Immigrant Children and Youth Program webpage for additional translation and interpretation information, certification programs, potential vendors, and scenarios.
In addition to informing parents/guardians of their child's LEP status and ML Program, Federal Law requires that schools communicate with parents in the language that they can understand on other issues as well. These include:
Disciplinary notices
Changes in scheduling
School rules and regulations
Parent conferences
Application for free and reduced lunch
Field trip forms
Health and immunization notices
Other general information was sent to all students.
At a parent conference, for example, if the parent does not understand English the school is obligated to provide an interpreter. A district interpreter is available by advance to request by contacting the school's designated contact person (usually the MLPS).
The MLPS or other staff should make every effort to have an interpreter available for parents who need or want it.
You may have more success with conferences if you are able to schedule siblings of families in the same time block. Often ML families have limited transportation and may have to make special arrangements to come to the school.
A district interpreter is available to make 3-way calls for phone conferences or call home and relay messages back to your contact person when specific situations need to be addressed.
Forms not already available in the language needed can be requested to be translated by submitting a request using the Interpreter/Translation Request Form.
We are equipped to assist all families, independent of the language they speak. Please contact Mr. Raul Garcia Mora for immediate assistance with Spanish-speaking families. If he is not available, please contact Choice Translating.
Meeting requests must be submitted two weeks prior to the meeting date. If the meeting date and time requested are unavailable, the meeting must be rescheduled. Documents submitted for translation will be processed in the order received, and the typical turnaround time is within 20 days. Please know that the turnaround time may vary due to availability, the complexity of the document, and length.
IntoLanguages Global is the language vendor for ALL SPED-related meetings, including IEP Meetings in person and through Google Meet. It is also an on-demand service and can be called at the time of the meeting. If you use the on-demand option, the meeting will be interpreted through the phone.
To request an interpreter for SPED-related meetings, you should use the IntoLanguages Global form.
Student Services is working on having the Notice of Meeting, Medicaid Documents, and Consent Forms translated into Spanish and Russian. We will make these available once we have them translated.
Based on regulations, we will interpret the IEP when requested by the parent/guardian.
To have a SPED document translated, please use the Translation Request for SPED Documents form.
NOTE: Dr. Marino, Student Services Director, has checked and confirmed that special education specialists/professionals may use IntoLanguages Global to assist with interpretation when administering screeners/evaluations to students who may require a screener/evaluation in their native language. Please contact your Student Services SPED team lead for further assistance.
For ASL Interpretation Services, please complete the ASL Interpretation Request Form
Google Translate may be used for school flyers and websites, classroom newsletters, PTO documents, events, volunteer opportunities, etc. Remember to include the following statement in both English and the language selected for each of the documents translated using this platform.
"This translation was provided to you via Google Translate. While LCSD cannot control the quality or accuracy of translated content powered by the Google™ Translate Service, we are very dedicated to serving all families and providing information promptly. The Google Translate feature is provided for informational purposes only. Translations cannot be guaranteed as exact or without the inclusion of incorrect or inappropriate language. Please contact your child’s school if you have any questions or need further assistance with the information you received. LCSD is always available for parents who need immediate assistance in any language through contracted language vendors."
NOTE: Translation services cannot be purchased using Title III funds. Using students as interpreters or online software such as Google Translate is NEVER an acceptable method of official School translation!
DO NOT use the language vendors to screen students. Please contact your Student Services team lead for further assistance.
Communicating with multilingual parents who are not proficient in English can be a challenging task. Here is a resource to help the MLPS, classroom teachers, staff, and administrators connect with families in a language they understand:
Teachers can use a web browser or mobile app; families text, use a mobile app, or a web browser.
Interact with any family member in their home language - you write in English, and families message back in their own language.
Teachers and families find in-app tips and guidance to support positive relationship-building.
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