[iteachk2010]

How does your district handle communication with parents of ESL students? Do they send important papers home in the parents’ home language? Who is responsible for the translations?

I have to copy/paste things into Google Translate myself to get the documents translated into the parents’ home language. It can be time-consuming-especially if you have to translate documents into several different languages because you have students from different countries.

We use Oncourse for our online lesson plans and school websites. At the bottom of my website, there is a button where parents can select which language they want my website translated to. So I am able to provide some information through my website; however, it does not translate pdfs that I posted on there. Our school district page doesn’t even offer the option to have things translated for some reason.

[wisechoice]

Unfortunately I don't know the answer though. Our school sends our weekly newsletter home in Spanish and English but doesn't the office of civil rights mandate that the webpage should reach parents of all languages?

[K12ESLteacher]

NY has clear and specific laws that govern ELL compliance. Each school should have an ELL coordinator to oversee EL compliance. For example, schools have to notify parents of ELLs in a language parents can understand, no matter what language that is. It is a compliance issue. People get fired if they are out of compliance. There is more to compliance in regard to ELL identification, if you wish you can PM me.
But, if your parent coordinator speaks a few languages, that is the person of contact.

I hope it helps.

[iteachk2010]

Thanks! At the current time we don't even have an ESL teacher in my district. The ones we used to have did not speak a second language. I have had the Spanish teacher from the high school help translate when I need to make phone calls. We don't have anyone who can translate Arabic so I have to rely on Google Translate.

[static19902]

My school has a very high number of Spanish speaking parents so we get everything building related in English and Spanish. But we also have a many Arabic speaking parents, and the do not get things translated. if i want a note translated in Spanish I have to find a T.A. that can translate for me on my own time. I usually use google translate and then let a TA read it to make sure it make sense. I use class dojo and the parents can also once logged in pick their language for the site.
If I receive a phone call from a parent the office will call for a translator which sometimes takes 10 mins! If i need to make a phone call I need to beg a TA on my own.