Your Rights

EL Students:

• English Learners have the right to “participate meaningfully” in public school education programs.

• Districts are required to provide sufficient language and academic supports to enable ELs to become English proficient and meet academic standards in a timely manner. (So our program is part of the district providing them with the instruction they need to "participate meaningfully.")

Parents of ELs:

• You have the right to opt-out of the ELD program if you do not want your child to receive English instruction. To do this, you would contact your child's ELD teacher, who would set up a meeting with you and an administrator.

• If there are enough students in the same grade who speak the same language, you can join together with other parents and request another type of English program, such as a bilingual program. (We have so few English learners in Sudbury, this may not be possible here for many years.)

• You have the right to an oral interpreter or written translations in a language you understand.

Official Department of Education Documents: These are written in complex, technical English but they include press releases, services, and resources for immigrants, refugees, undocumented immigrants, and other types of families.