Effective education requires effective communication — not just between teachers and students, but between schools and families. For the millions of American families who speak a language other than English at home, this communication depends on professional interpretation and translation services. School districts have both a legal obligation and an educational imperative to ensure that limited English proficient (LEP) parents can participate meaningfully in their children's education.
The legal framework for language access in education is well-established. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA), and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) all require schools to communicate with LEP parents in a language they can understand. The landmark Lau v. Nichols Supreme Court decision established that schools receiving federal funding must take affirmative steps to overcome language barriers. The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has issued specific guidance on the obligation to provide meaningful communication with LEP parents.
In practice, this means schools must provide interpretation for parent-teacher conferences, IEP (Individualized Education Program) meetings, disciplinary hearings, school enrollment processes, special education evaluations, Title I meetings, and any other interaction where important information is being communicated. Schools must also translate vital documents — report cards, enrollment forms, emergency notifications, school policies, and special education documents — into the major languages spoken by their school community.
IEP meetings deserve particular attention. Federal law requires that parents be able to participate meaningfully in the IEP process for their child with a disability. If a parent is LEP, a qualified interpreter must be provided. Using a child, another student, or an untrained staff member to interpret during an IEP meeting is a violation of both IDEA and Title VI and can expose the district to complaints and litigation.
Many school districts struggle to provide consistent language access across all schools, particularly for less common languages and in rural areas. Remote interpretation services — both OPI and VRI — solve this challenge by providing immediate access to qualified interpreters in hundreds of languages from any school in the district. This ensures that a Burmese-speaking parent at a suburban elementary school receives the same quality of communication as a Spanish-speaking parent at an urban high school.
BeKonek Solutions works with school districts to provide comprehensive language access programs. Our services include on-demand OPI for everyday parent communications, scheduled VRI for conferences and IEP meetings, on-site interpretation for major school events, and certified translation of school documents and communications. We support more than 300 languages and can help districts identify their highest-need languages based on enrollment data.
Every parent deserves to be an active participant in their child's education. Professional language services make that possible. Contact us to discuss a language access program for your school district.