Common use of Parent Communication Clause in Contracts

Parent Communication. A. By December 31, 2014, the District will review, and revise as necessary, and submit for OCR review and approval its policies and procedures to ensure that it provides meaningful access to national origin minority, limited English proficient (LEP) parents and guardians (LEP parents) to the District’s charter school programs and activities. The policies and procedures will ensure that LEP parents are notified, in a language understood by the parents, of information about charter school programs and activities that is called to the attention of other non-LEP parents. These policies and procedures will: 1. Specify how the District will provide language assistance services, including interpreters and written translations, to LEP parents, including parents from lower incidence language groups. Where translation is required, the District will translate the documents into predominant languages to the extent these are provided in English. For lower incidence languages, or where translations are not feasible, the District and its charter schools will ensure that LEP parents have been advised, in a language they can understand, of who to contact in the District if they need assistance in understanding notices or communication with the District or charter school staff. The policies and procedures must ensure that: i. The District will translate district-wide notices and commonly used documents (e.g., report cards, standardized test scores, etc.) into predominant languages and will notify charter school staff of the documents the District has translated and where they can be obtained; ii. The District or charter school will translate school-based written notices and documents that are routinely sent home to non-LEP parents in English; iii. The District or charter school will provide language assistance services at: (a) all school-wide events, school tours, registration and enrollment, parent-teacher conferences, disciplinary conferences, and student support services meetings (i.e., Section 504 team meetings, Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings); and (b) enrollment and recruiting events (e.g., charter school fairs, informational meetings, open houses, school tours). iv. The District will notify LEP parents about the District’s charter schools, the benefits and services of the charters schools, and the schools’ admission criteria, application and enrollment processes, the availability of language assistance services for LEP parents (i.e., interpreters and translators), the availability of language development services for ELL students, and the name and contact information for a staff person who can answer questions about the charter school program. v. The District and charter schools will translate promotional materials for charter schools (e.g., brochures, flyers, letters, postcards, emails, etc.), including admission and enrollment materials; 2. Specify a process by which charter school staff may obtain, in a timely manner, language assistance services, including qualified translators or interpreters as needed. The policies and procedures will also notify charter school staff of the applicable record keeping procedures and reporting requirements. The District’s means for providing these services must be well-published and accessible to charter school staff. 3. Include a process by which the District ensures that that interpreters and translators are competent to provide interpretation and translation services and have been appropriately trained regarding the role of interpreter and translator, the ethics of interpreting and translating, and the need to maintain confidentiality. The District will also ensure that interpreters and translators have knowledge of any specialized terms or concepts peculiar to the District's charter schools and activities. 4. Include a process to identify and track LEP parents who require communication in a language other than English, including ensuring that charter school administrators, teachers and office personnel are notified of these LEP parents. 5. Specify how LEP parents will have notice of and access to language assistance services at charter schools and charter school-related events. The notice will, at a minimum, be published in a language LEP parents can understand on the District’s website, individual charter school websites, and in the District and charter school student and parent handbooks. The notification will also provide parents with a contact person who can answer questions regarding language assistance services and assist LEP parents with access to interpreter services or translated documents. 6. Include a process of tracking interpreter and translator requests and language assistance services provided by charter schools. The District will evaluate this information and the effectiveness of communication with LEP parents on an annual basis to ensure that the communication needs of LEP parents are being timely and effectively met with respect to the District’s charter schools. B. Following written notification of OCR’s approval of the LEP parent communication policies and procedures submitted in accordance with section II.A. of this Agreement, the District will within 30 days adopt and implement the policies and procedures and provide written notice of the policies and procedures to all charter school administrators, teachers, bilingual/ELL program teachers, guidance counselors, or other staff who interact with LEP charter school parents. C. Within 60 days of OCR’s approval of the LEP parent communication policies and procedures, the District will provide training to all charter school administrators and teachers, bilingual/ELL program teachers, and other staff involved in charter school recruiting, enrollment on its LEP parent communication policies and procedures for effectively communicating with LEP parents. Staff training will include the following: when and how to obtain qualified language assistance; the importance of effective communication with LEP parents; use of interpreters when staff receive or make calls to LEP parents; use of interpreters during in-person contact with LEP parents; how to work effectively with interpreters; the impact of ethnic and cultural differences on effective communication, and applicable record-keeping procedures and reporting requirements.

Parent Communication. A. 1. By December 31, 2014June 30 2015, the District district will review, review and revise as necessary, and submit for OCR review and approval its policies and procedures to ensure that it provides meaningful access to national origin minority, limited English proficient (LEP) parents and guardians (LEP parents) to the District’s charter school programs and activities. The policies and procedures will ensure that LEP parents are notified, in a language understood by the parents, of school activities and other information about charter school programs and activities matters that is are called to the attention of other non-LEP parents. These Specifically, the district will revise its policies and procedures willto ensure that: 1. Specify a. the policies and procedures describe how the District district will provide language assistance services, including interpreters and written translations, to LEP parents, including parents from lower incidence less predominant language groups. Where translation is required, the District will translate the documents into predominant languages to the extent these are provided in English. For lower incidence languages, or where translations are not feasible, the District and its charter schools will ensure that LEP parents have been advised, in a language they can understand, of who to contact in the District if they need assistance in understanding notices or communication with the District or charter school staff. The policies and procedures must ensure that: i. The District will translate district-wide notices and commonly used documents (e.g., report cards, standardized test scores, etc.) into predominant languages and will notify charter school staff of the documents the District has translated and where they can be obtained; ii. The District or charter school will translate school-based written notices and documents that are routinely sent home to non-LEP parents in English; iii. The District or charter school will provide language assistance services at: (a) all school-wide events, school tours, registration and enrollment, parent-teacher conferences, disciplinary conferences, and student support services meetings (i.e., Section 504 team meetings, Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings); and (b) enrollment and recruiting events (e.g., charter school fairs, informational meetings, open houses, school tours). iv. The District will notify LEP parents about b. the District’s charter schools, the benefits and services of the charters schools, and the schools’ admission criteria, application and enrollment processes, the availability of language assistance services for LEP parents (i.e., interpreters and translators), the availability of language development services for ELL students, and the name and contact information for a staff person who can answer questions about the charter school program. v. The District and charter schools will translate promotional materials for charter schools (e.g., brochures, flyers, letters, postcards, emails, etc.), including admission and enrollment materials; 2. Specify a process by which charter school staff may obtain, in a timely manner, language assistance services, including qualified translators or interpreters as needed. The policies and procedures will also notify charter school staff of the applicable record keeping procedures and reporting requirements. The District’s means for providing these services must be well-published and accessible to charter school staff. 3. Include a process by which the District ensures that that interpreters and translators are competent to provide interpretation and translation services and have been appropriately trained regarding the role of interpreter and translator, the ethics of interpreting and translating, and the need to maintain confidentiality. The District will also ensure that interpreters and translators have knowledge of any specialized terms or concepts peculiar to the District's charter schools and activities. 4. Include district has a process to identify and track LEP parents who require communication in a language other than English, including ensuring that charter school teachers, administrators, teachers and central office personnel are notified of these LEP parents; c. the district has a process by which district staff may obtain, in a timely manner, language assistance services, including qualified translators or interpreters as needed (this could include through the use of various services, such as onsite translators/interpreters, telephonic translators/interpreters, and effective translation programs); d. the process will also notify appropriate staff of the applicable record keeping procedures and reporting requirements; the district's means for providing these services must be well- publicized and accessible to staff. 52. Specify how By June 30 2015, the district will notify LEP parents, in a language that the parents will have notice can understand, of and access to the availability of free language assistance services at charter schools with respect to school programs and charter school-related eventsactivities and information as to how this assistance may be obtained. The notice will, at a minimum, be published in a language LEP parents can understand on the District’s district's website, individual charter school websites, and in the District and charter school student and parent handbooks, and in any district-wide or school-based newsletters. The notification will also provide parents with a contact person who can answer any questions regarding language assistance services parental communication and assist LEP parents with to access to interpreter services or translated documents. 63. Include By June 30 2015, the district will develop a process of tracking interpreter and translator requests and language assistance services provided by charter schools. The District will evaluate this information and the effectiveness of communication with LEP parents on an annual basis to ensure that all of its interpreters and translators are competent to provide interpretation and translation services and have been appropriately trained on the communication needs role of LEP parents are being timely an interpreter and effectively met with respect to the District’s charter schools. B. Following written notification of OCR’s approval of the LEP parent communication policies and procedures submitted in accordance with section II.A. of this Agreementtranslator, the District will within 30 days adopt ethics of interpreting and implement the policies and procedures and provide written notice of the policies and procedures to all charter school administrators, teachers, bilingual/ELL program teachers, guidance counselors, or other staff who interact with LEP charter school parents. C. Within 60 days of OCR’s approval of the LEP parent communication policies and procedures, the District will provide training to all charter school administrators and teachers, bilingual/ELL program teacherstranslating, and other staff involved the need to maintain confidentiality. The district will maintain documentation to support that the interpreters and translators have the skills and proficiency to interpret and translate in charter school recruiting, enrollment on its LEP parent communication policies English and procedures for effectively communicating with LEP parents. Staff training will include the following: when and how to obtain qualified language assistance; the importance of effective communication with LEP parents; use of interpreters when staff receive or make calls to LEP parents; use of interpreters during ina particular non-person contact with LEP parents; how to work effectively with interpreters; the impact of ethnic and cultural differences on effective communication, and applicable record-keeping procedures and reporting requirementsEnglish language.