Language Access Plan

1. By calling or emailing the school, teacher, school leader or district office

2. Through district mailings, Parent Square and the district website

3. Through the use of the SVSD language services provider that offers interpreter services

4. Staff members access language services through their building level process and procedures 

5. Questions regarding access should be sent to the school or the office of multilingual services

The SVSD maintains an updated list of competent and trained guest interpreters and translators.

Interpretation and translation services are accessible through our schools and the office of multilingual services. Scheduling a guest interpreter requires submitting a request in the provider system. If an interpreter is not available, staff should access telephonic interpreting services through the district’s preferred service provider.

School leaders will work with teachers and support staff to ensure a clear internal system to access interpreters and translators.

• Required for in-person or virtual conferences and family events.

• Schedule interpreters at least five business days prior to events. 

• Brief the interpreter on the meeting and its details.

• Monitor service provider to determine filled/unfilled guest interpreter requests.

• Confirm the language the family speaks.

• Confirm the parent’s attendance through the interpreter.

• Schedule extra time for the meeting to allow interpretation to occur.

• Building administrators submit the translation request form with the document(s) to be translated.

• Email translation requests with advance notice of at least 10 business days to the office of multilingual services. Send the original, modifiable documents in an electronic format, Microsoft Word is recommended (no PDFs) and indicate the date by which the translation is needed. A single request may include multiple languages of a document.

Parent Square allows for two-way communication between the SVSD, teachers and parents in multiple languages. Parents can set their preferred language on the login page of Parent Square or on mobile app. Parents will receive an email containing the message from the SVSD, their child’s school and/or teacher(s) in their preferred language. Parents may also use Parent Square to send a message, in their preferred language to their child’s teacher(s).

An effective way to ensure families with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) can meaningfully access program services is to provide notices about the availability of language assistance services. Central Office, Administration and Teaching staff are notified of LEP families via a marker in Skyward - the district's student management system. Additionally, schools are provided a data base annually that identifies the preferred language of all families. 

SVSD will provide notices to LEP parents and guardians in the following ways:

• Essential, non-student specific district documents 

• Website notices and translated webpages

• Parent Square

All notifications provided to LEP families will include both the phone number and email for the department of multilingual services as well as the name and number of the district civil rights compliance officer. The Multilingual Services Department will collaborate with all district departments to create a key list of essential, non-student specific District documents that will be translated into non- English languages each year and into which languages.

Each member of the SVSD staff will receive professional development in the area of language access that reviews the SVSD policy and general information about staff responsibility regarding language access.

The Multilingual Services Department will evaluate the Language Access Plan and its components on a regular basis. A self-evaluation will be conducted yearly. The department will seek feedback and input from the following:

• Family surveys and focus groups
• Interpreter and translator surveys
• Staff surveys

The Multilingual Services Department will maintain and update a database of interpreter and translation services requested, including the primary language(s) and names of the student and the student’s parents; the school building involved; the source of any interpreter used (e.g., guest staff interpreters, contract interpreters, telephone interpreter lines); the reason for or purpose of the request; the date of the request; and the name of the interpreter.

To ensure that interpreters and translators have the knowledge in both languages of any specialized terms or concepts, the district works in partnership with both Dynamic and Language Line to ensure interpreters have been trained in the roles of an interpreter, translator. In the hiring process, interpreters are screened and vetted by the department of multilingual services and receive training on best practices.

Building-level roles and responsibilities in supporting LEP families include:

Principal/Assistant Principal

• Partnering with families and community to support scholar learning

• Ensuring access to information and materials in the families’ preferred language

• Foster a multicultural and multilingual school environment Teacher

• Collaborating with families to meet scholar need

Counselor

• Collaborating with families to meet scholar need

• Providing resources and supports

LEP persons are individuals who are unable to communicate effectively in English either verbally or in writing, or both, because their primary language is not English and they have not developed fluency in the English language. A person with LEP may have difficulty in one or more of four domains of language: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Refers to the parent(s) or guardian(s) of a scholar or scholars enrolled in the District who have limited English proficiency, even if the scholar is proficient in English.

The primary language spoken by a scholar’s parent or guardian, or the predominant language spoken in the scholar’s home. Parents/guardians may have more than one primary language or dialect.

A broad spectrum of services used or required to facilitate communication and understanding between speakers of different languages, and typically includes interpretation and translation services.

The act of contemporaneous communication between a speaker of English and a speaker of another language wherein the words of one person are communicated to others orally in a different language. This also includes interpretation through Sign Language.
 

Means the written communication between a speaker of English and a speaker of another language wherein the written words of one person are communicated to others in writing in a different language.
 

The process by which SVSD identifies LEP families is through the Home Language Survey, which is a part of the registration process. The Multilingual Services Department monitors registrations and provides a monthly enrollment report to school and district leaders.