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Section K: School/Community Relations

Regulation Title: Interpreter and Translator Support Services for Students and Parents/Guardians
Regulation Code: KBF-R
Lead Department: Student Services

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Tucson Unified School District will ensure access to District programs by providing trained interpreters and translators when reasonable for all Limited English Proficient (LEP) students and their families.

Definitions
Interpreter - is a person who is fluent in the languages necessary in order to facilitate accurate communication between two or more individuals who do not speak in the same language.

Translator - an individual who provides a written communication in a second language having the same meaning as the written communication in a first language.

LEP (Limited English Proficient) - persons who, as a result of national origin, are limited in their English proficiency.

Predominant Language - any language other than English where 100 or more speakers of that language are currently enrolled in TUSD.

Support Services - any service not related to regular classroom instruction, i.e. lockers, IEP, section 504, parent/teacher conferences, student discipline, free and reduced lunch, health/medical services, etc.

LEP List - is a list TUSD maintains and continuously updates on a database that contains the names of all currently enrolled LEP students or their parents/guardians. This list is used to identify individuals in need of reasonable interpreter/translation necessary to gain access to support services.

Identifying LEPs
Individuals are identified as LEPs in TUSD by:

  • Self-identification - every year, every new and returning student's parent/guardian must respond to the question: Which language do you prefer for written and spoken communication with the District?
  • School Personnel Identification - as school personnel meet and work with parents/guardians they may identify them as LEP and ask the principal to place the child or parents/guardians on the LEP list.
  • School staff are responsible for creating and maintaining an LEP list in a central data base.

Notice to Parents/Guardians
All schools and departments which provide or may provide services to LEPs must:

  • Provide notice to all LEP students, parents/guardians that interpreter services are available to them at no cost.
  • Offer an initial interview opportunity to each of the LEP families to share all support services available to their child.
  • Post and maintain, in a prominent public place, a multi-lingual sign informing students, parent/guardians and family members that interpreter services are available to them at no cost.
  • Have available during registration and at all other times a multi-lingual sheet that allows individuals to identify themselves as a speaker of a language other that English.

Provision of Interpreter/Translator Services

  • Interpreter Services - TUSD will provide a certified interpreter at the school, department, program or activity site where an LEP is in need of information regarding academic, administrative, or legal issues, when reasonable.

    Interpreter Services may include, but are not limited to, the following events.

    Academic
    Teacher conferences
    Counselor Meetings
    GATE Assessment
    Advanced Placement
    Tutoring & Supplemental Srvs
    Summer School
    Any transportation events

    		 Administrative
    Attendance Issues
    Registration
    Extracurricular Activities
    Public Meetings
    Social Service Programs
    Policies & Procedures
    Grades & Report Cards

    Legal
    IEP Team Meetings/Assessment
    504 Assessment
    Student Discipline Hearings
    Law Enforcement/Child Protective
    Free & Reduced Meals
    Alternative Lang. Educ. Placement
    Health or Medical Emergency
    Discrimination Complaints
    Student Manifestation Hearing
  • Translation Services for Predominant Languages - TUSD will translate core documents into languages where TUSD has a student population of 100 or more. The list of core documents will be updated periodically.
  • Translation Services for Non-predominant languages - TUSD will provide translated documents in situations involving special education, Section 504, and disciplinary proceedings.
  • Documentation of Interpreter/Translator Services - TUSD will record all interpreter/translation services provided to students and their families in a central data base.
    • Interpreters/translators shall record every District interpreter/translation event on the record of event form.
    • School Office Manager or Department Support Staff is responsible for ensuring that every District interpreter/translation event is entered into the central database.

District Staff Training

  • All relevant administrative, certified, and classified employees will be trained annually regarding their responsibilities to identify, notify, provide and document services to LEPs.
  • TUSD will certify interpreter/translators through testing, training and evaluation.

Quality Control

  • TUSD will conduct periodic site and/or desktop audits to verify that LEP students and parents/guardians who are in need of interpreter/translation services are actually receiving them and will take corrective action when necessary.
  • TUSD will, on an ongoing basis, maintain records concerning interpreter/translation job performance and will take corrective action when necessary.

Complaint/Dispute Resolution
Parents/legal guardians who believe they are not getting the interpreter/translation services they need to reasonably access information regarding school services may request a meeting with the school principal or department head.

  1. Upon request of the parents/legal guardians, a conference will be scheduled with the principal/department head in an effort to clarify and understand the situation. Interpreter will be provided. Every attempt will be made to resolve the concern.
  2. If the issues/concerns are not resolved through this conference, parents/legal guardians may request a meeting with the Senior Academic Officer - Student Services for further review.
  3. Senior Academic Officer - Student Services will make the final decision and notify the parents/legal guardians of that decision.

All LEP parents/guardians will be notified of this complaint resolution procedure at the beginning of every school year.

Reviewed: June 24, 2005 [Friday Report]
Revised: July 18, 2012 [Format Change Only]