Language Access Plan

The Language Access Plan aims to ensure that the Issaquah School District provides competent and appropriate language services to parents and guardians with limited English proficiency. This guide:

1. Provides staff members with the necessary resources to effectively communicate with parents and guardians who have limited proficiency in English.
2. Equips parents and guardians with limited English proficiency with information to understand their rights and available services.

Schools are required to communicate with all parents and guardians in a language they can comprehend. This involves informing parents/guardians who primarily communicate in a language other than English or have limited English proficiency in a language they can understand.

Our district is responsible for ensuring that important information is communicated promptly and effectively. This includes but is not limited to, details about language assistance programs, safety protocols, special education services, IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meetings, grievance procedures, nondiscrimination notices, student disciplinary policies, registration and enrollment processes, report card distribution, requests for student participation in district or school activities, parent-teacher conferences, student handbooks, gifted and talented programs, magnet schools, as well as any other school or program choices available.

Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

• Individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) are those who face challenges communicating effectively in English, whether verbally or in writing, or both. This is because their primary language is not English, and they may not have developed fluency in the English language. A person with limited English proficiency may encounter difficulties in any of the four language domains: speaking, listening, reading, and/or writing.

LEP Parent

• LEP parents or guardians are those with limited proficiency in English, regardless of their child's English fluency.

Primary Language

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

Language Services

• Various language services cover a wide range of tools needed to help people communicate when they speak different languages. This usually includes interpretation and translation.

Interpretation Service

• Interpretation services are used when someone who speaks English talks to someone who speaks another language, and the interpreter helps by saying the same thing in the other language. This can also involve using sign language.

Translation

• Translation is a written communication between English and other languages, where the content is written in each language.

Parent/Guardian Identification

• The district will make sure to identify parents and guardians with limited English proficiency through the Home Language Survey and the Enrollment Verification Process (EVP). The district will give them information in their language about the language services available in the district and the Parents’ Rights.

For parents/guardians: It is the parents’ right to be able to access language services. Parents' Rights - Interpretation and Translation Services

Language services can be accessed in a variety of ways:

• By phone and video interpretation when you visit your child’s school without advance notice.
• By calling or emailing the school, teacher, school office, or district office to schedule an interpreter and translation services.
• By using the interpretation device at selected locations.

For staff members: The following describes the language services provided by the district.

• Sign language interpretation
  • Sign language interpretation services are available through district-contracted vendors, both in-person and virtually (via video). Please follow the prompts on the Language Access Page in the Staff Hub to request services.
• Interpretation and translation
  • The district has contracted vendors for competent and trained interpreters and translators. Interpretation and translation services are accessible through Language Line (phone), Alboum (video interpretation and translation), and Dynamic Language or Language Connection (in-person interpretation). Please follow the prompts on the Language Access Page in the Staff Hub to request services.

Please contact Language Access Coordinator for more information.

Mayumi Johnson
Language Access Coordinator
johnsonm6@issaquah.wednet.edu
425-837-7217

Essential information, notifications, announcements, and messages are provided through various channels to inform parents and guardians with limited English proficiency in their preferred languages.

• Essential and non-student-specific district documents, i.e., Student Handbook
• Websites
• Family flyer
• Bulletins

ISD employees and staff members serve as ambassadors for our school community. In line with this role, we are committed to providing comprehensive training and professional development in the area of language access. This includes the creation of a training module and professional development calendar. It is expected that applicable staff members will undergo training to familiarize themselves with ISD’s language access policy and their associated responsibilities.

Translators and Interpreters: Contracted vendors are responsible for ensuring the qualification and training of their translators and interpreters to meet the district’s approved standards of service. In-house translators and interpreters at ISD will undergo training provided by the district upon their employment.

The Communications 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 via:

• Family surveys and feedback
• Interpreter and translator surveys and feedback
• Staff surveys and feedback
• Language Access Advisory Committee meetings semiannually to evaluate the plan.

After translation or interpretation services are finished, families and staff members will have the opportunity to fill out a feedback survey. The Issaquah School District Language Access Advisory Committee will use the data to enhance the language access services

Roles and responsibilities in supporting families with limited English proficiency encompass various positions, including but not limited to principals, assistant principals, teachers, office staff, counselors, family liaisons, school nurses, district staff, and other personnel.