Translation and Interpretation

San Francisco Unified School District and County Office of Education

Board Policy 5023

Translation and Interpretation

 

This Board Policy applies to the San Francisco Unified School District and the County Office of Education.

 

The governing board recognizes that parents/guardians who speak a language other than English must have the opportunity to work with schools in a mutually supportive and respectful partnership and to help their children succeed in school. (Education Code 51100) 

 

Definitions

1. Translation is the transfer of the meaning of a text from one language to another.
2. Interpretation facilitates the oral communication between two or more people who do not speak the same language.

 

State Law 

If 15 percent or more of the students enrolled in a District school speak a single primary language other than English, as determined from the census data submitted to the Department of Education pursuant to Section 52164 in the preceding year, all notices, reports, statements, or records sent to the parent or guardian of any such pupil by the public school or school District shall, in addition to being written in English, be written in the primary language, and may be responded to either in English or the primary language.  (Education Code 48985)

 

District Translation Requirements

Documents that are distributed to or used by parents/guardians District-wide (at more than one school) will be translated into the District’s 6 Major Languages: Arabic, Chinese, Filipino, Samoan, Spanish, and Vietnamese. 

Documents that are distributed to or used by parents/guardians at an individual school will be translated into the primary languages spoken by 15% or more of the school population.

At the beginning of each school year an electronic communication shall be sent to inform parents/guardians of their translation and interpretation rights.

 

Examples of documents that are distributed to or used by parents/guardians includes but is not limited to the following: 

1. Information about special education matters; 

2. Report cards and other academic progress reports; 

3. Information about discipline and the disciplinary process; 

4. Requests for parent/guardian permission for student participation in District/school sponsored programs and activities;

5. Promotional materials and announcements distributed to students that contain information about school and District activities for which notice is needed to participate in such activities (e.g., testing, extracurriculars, activities requiring an application, parent-teacher conferences, open houses);

6. Parent/guardian handbooks; 

7. Documents concerning enrollment or registration; 

8. Documents concerning academic options and planning; 

9. Documents concerning screening procedures requesting a student’s language background, a parent/guardian’s preferred language of communication, and the process for refusing all or only specific EL services; 

10. Information related to public health and safety; and 

11. Any other written information describing the rights and responsibilities of parents/guardians or students and the benefits and services available to parents/guardians and students.

 

Every effort shall be made to translate written materials and provide them to parents/guardians in advance of meetings, especially for complex documents such as Individualized Education Plan assessments, which require time for parents/guardians to read and understand in order to participate fully in an IEP meeting.

 

District Interpretation Requirements and Best Practices

 

1. Parent Meetings:  Interpretation will be provided for parents/guardians who do not speak English to provide meaningful access to discussions regarding their children’s educational progress. 
   Examples of such discussions include but are not limited to parent teacher conferences, Student Success Team meetings, meetings related to student suspension and expulsion, and IEP meetings.
   Interpretation for such meetings will be provided upon parent request or if the need for interpretation becomes apparent. Interpretation may be either simultaneous or consecutive; if interpretation is consecutive, the meeting time should be extended to allow for consecutive interpretation, which usually requires approximately double the time.

    

2. Board and Committee Meetings. 

• Committee of the Whole and Regular Board Meetings:  Cantonese and Spanish interpretation will be provided at Committee of the Whole and Regular meetings of the Board of Education. Interpretation for other languages will be offered upon request provided the request is submitted at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting.
• Board Committee and All Other Special Meetings of the Board:  Interpretation will be offered upon request provided the request is submitted at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting; every effort will be made to honor requests submitted after that time. Interpretation will also be offered at the request of the staff committee liaison when the liaison anticipates a need for interpretation.
   

3. School-Wide Events:   Schools are encouraged, as a best practice, to provide interpretation for school-wide events sponsored by the school or District, as well as meetings of the School Site Council, if 15% or more of the school population speaks a language other than English. School staff should submit interpretation requests at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting.
    

4.  District-Wide Events: Cantonese and Spanish interpretation will be provided at District-wide events with an intended audience of SFUSD parents/guardians. Interpretation for other languages will be offered upon request provided the request is submitted at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. 

    

 

Legal Reference:

EDUCATION CODE

48985

51100

51101

 

Please note that compare references, or “cf,” refer to CSBA model policies and do not necessarily indicate that the San Francisco Unified School District has adopted the referenced policy.