Language Access Plan
Purpose
Lakewood School District has placed students at its center. This Language Access Plan affirms the district’s Lakewood Compact and Pillar Two: equitable access to powerful learning.
Schools must communicate with all parents and guardians in a language they can understand. This includes notifying parents/guardians whose primary language of communication is not English or who have limited proficiency in English — in a language they can understand — about all programs, services, and activities that are called to the attention of other parents and guardians. The Language Access Plan will help ensure that LWSD provides high-quality and appropriate language services to parents and guardians.
This guide provides the resources staff members need to engage with Limited English Proficient (LEP) parents and guardians. The district must ensure timely, meaningful communication of essential information, including but not limited to information regarding:
- Language assistance
- Enrollment and registration
- Academic standards and student performance, including report cards
- WIDA score report
- Special education and related services
- Section 504 information
- IEP meetings
- McKinney-Vento services
- Safety plans and discipline notices
- Parent handbook information, including:
- Attendance policies and procedures
- Grievance procedures
- Notices of nondiscrimination
- Student discipline policies and procedures
- Requests for permission for student participation in district or school activities
- Parent–teacher conferences
- Highly capable program information
- School closure information
- Health information
- Any other documents notifying parents of their rights under applicable state laws and/or containing information or forms related to consent or filing complaints under federal law, state law, or District policy.
Please note: If it is not possible to provide this information in a published format in a family’s preferred language, buildings should arrange to provide families with the information in an alternative way upon request, usually by arranging for an interpreter.
Please refer to LWSD policy and procedure 4218 to learn more about language access in Lakewood School District.
Languages Spoken in Lakewood Schools
Languages over 5%
- Spanish
Top 4 Languages
- Spanish
- Ukrainian
- Marshallese
- Russian
Additional Languages Spoken
- American Sign Language
- Arabic
- Mandarin Chinese
- Farsi/Persian
- Filipino
- French
- Fula/Fulani
- Hmong
- Japanese
- Mandingo
- Palau
- Portuguese
- Punjabi
- Tagalog
- Turkish
- Vietnamese
- Wolof
Language Services
Language services can be accessed in a variety of ways:
Families
- By calling or emailing the teacher, school or school leader.
- For events, families should contact their school office for assistance.
Administrators, Teachers and Staff
- On-demand interpreters are available for Zoom and over-the-phone interpretation through Language Link (Instructions are available on the website: https://www.lwsd.wednet.edu/for-staff/staff-resources/access)
- In-person interpreter (use this for conferences and longer meetings). Return request form on this page: https://www.lwsd.wednet.edu/for-staff/staff-resources/access
- Language access tablets (use for short in-person conversations): Currently one tablet is available in each school and department office.
- Send messages through Finalsite Mass Notification using the language translation feature
- Information on the website in text format can be automatically translated into a family’s selected language. Avoid PDFs, which cannot be automatically translated.
- Important information that cannot be translated must include an “Important Document Interpreter Request” form in the family’s preferred language. Reach out to your building secretary or to the district Language Access Liaison if you do not have access to these forms.
- For events: Principals should follow instructions on the Interpreter Request form, preferably 7 days before the event. However, we will attempt to find an interpreter in fewer days if possible. https://www.lwsd.wednet.edu/for-staff/staff-resources/access
General Guidance for Scheduling Interpreters and Translations
School leaders will work with teachers and support staff to ensure a clear internal system to access interpreters and translators.
Interpreters
Requesting in-person interpreters:
- Schedule interpreters at least 7 business days prior to events. Brief the interpreter on the meeting and its details.
- Fill out interpreter request form (Staff > Language Access Links)
- Schedule extra time for the meeting to allow interpretation to occur.
- After the interpreted meeting: Provide a link to the Interpreter Feedback Form.
Translation of Documents
- All translation requests must go through the building administrator/supervisor
Notices
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. The District Office, Administration and Teaching staff are notified of LEP families via Skyward – the district student management system. LWSD will provide notices to LEP parents and guardians in the following ways:
- Essential district documents, such as the Family Handbook, School Appendices and Annual Notices will be published on the website as pages, which can be translated automatically using the website’s translation tool.
- Family flyers through Peachjar in Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian and Marshallese
- Language posters in school offices
All notifications provided to LEP families will include information on how to access language services as well as the name and number of the district’s Language Access Liaison and the district’s Civil Rights Compliance Officer. The Language Access Liaison 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.
Professional Development
All employees and staff members are family and community ambassadors. As such, each member of the LWSD staff will receive professional development in the area of language access.
- All Staff: Instructions for accessing an interpreter and how to use interpreter request forms for important information. Each fall.
- Secretaries: Secretary meeting in the fall.
- Admin Team: Meeting in the fall.
Evaluation
The Language Access Liaison and the Department of Teaching and Learning 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 survey and/or focus groups
- Interpretation surveys
- Staff surveys
IEP Meetings and Disciplinary Meetings
Anyone requesting an interpreter for an IEP meeting or disciplinary meeting is responsible for recording interpreted meetings as indicated by OSPI. This information will be used to help the district maintain and update a database of interpreter and translation services requested.
The Department of Teaching and Learning will develop a system for data in coordination with the student information coordinator for proper reporting in Cedars.
After the completion of a translation or interpretive service, families will be provided with a link to complete a short feedback survey either on a Chromebook provided for this purpose or on a personal device: https://www.lwsd.wednet.edu/interpreter
The process to review District contracts with interpreter and translation service providers will include a yearly summary of performance to include the number of times services were rendered as well as feedback from any survey results from LEP families who have accessed services.
Building-level roles and responsibilities in supporting LEP families include:
Principal/Assistant Principal
- Partnering with families and community to support student learning
- Ensuring access to information and materials in a family’s preferred language
- Fostering a multicultural and multilingual school environment
- Manage building budget for language assistance services
Teacher
- Collaborating with families to meet student needs
- Communicating student progress and challenges to parents/guardians in a family’s preferred language
- Requesting interpreter for parent-teacher conference
- Contacting Language Link for phone or Zoom calls that need an interpreter
- Emails and other communications to families should be translated into a family’s preferred language (Finalsite Mass Notification will do this translation automatically)
Student Support Advocate
- Collaborating with families to meet student needs
- Providing resources and supports
- Contacting Language Link for phone or Zoom calls that need an interpreter
- Coordinating with Principal/Assistant Principal if language access challenges come up
Counselor
- Collaborating with families to meet student needs
- Providing resources and supports
- Contacting Language Link for phone or Zoom calls that need an interpreter
- Coordinating with Principal/Assistant Principal if language access challenges come up
District contacts and resources
Instructions for Language Link and the Interpreter Request Form can be found on the District website: https://www.lwsd.wednet.edu/for-staff/staff-resources/access
Language Access Liaison (Kristina Bowman, kbowman@lwsd.wednet.edu)
- Coordinate and publish the district’s Language Access Plan
- Coordinate staff professional development on utilization of language assistance services
- Regularly assess and improve the Language Access Plan
Department of Teaching and Learning (Sophia Deogun, sdeogun@lwsd.wednet.edu)
- Coordinate and manage requests for interpretation and translation
- Manage district budget for language assistance services
Civil Rights Compliance Officer (Tim Haines, thaines@lwsd.wednet.edu)
- Coordinate and monitor the district’s compliance with state and federal laws, regulations, and guidelines that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, and the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability
- Oversees prevention efforts to avoid civil rights violations from occurring
- Implements the district’s discrimination complaint procedures
- Investigates complaints alleging discrimination based on the protected classes listed above
Resources