LYNN — Beginning today, School Department administrators must notify parents of all 14,800 students about “the availability of free language assistance services” under an agreement between the Lynn schools and federal civil rights officials.
Neighbor to Neighbor organizer Lissy Romanow said the agreement with Office for Civil Rights officials is the result of “numerous” complaints by parents beginning last fall.
“The substance of the complaints was parents were trying to set up a meeting and were told no translator was available,” Romanow said.
The three-page agreement outlines long-term steps the School Department must take to improve communications with limited English-speaking parents, including a commitment to “continue to provide interpreters in all meetings with parents ”¦ including telephone conversations, and to translate all important school-related communications to them.”
Latham, in a statement, said two parents brought the complaints and said schools officials “supplied written proof” to federal investigators that contradicted the parents’ allegations.
“They asked if we would be willing to sign an agreement as a means of resolution for the outstanding complaints,” wrote Latham, adding, “At no point in the agreement or in our meeting did OCR indicate that the Lynn Public School Department was not compliant with required regulations.”
But parent Lori D’Amico on Thursday said parents have repeatedly attempted to address concerns about translation and interpretations services with school officials.
“For over a year now, parents have been pursuing the fact the Lynn Public School(s) does not have a district policy regarding translation and interpretation services, and that LPS is not providing these services to all those who require them,” D’Amico wrote in a statement.
Neighbor to Neighbor works on community advocacy concerns with Lynn Parents Organizing for a Better Education and Romanow said the organization helped parents file the complaint.
“If English-speaking parents can advocate on behalf of their children, and non-English speakers can’t, that’s discrimination,” Romanow said.
School Department attorney John Mihos said school officials signed the agreement because the alternative was “a long, formal investigation.” He said complaints brought by “a couple of individuals” were countered by school administrators with proof of notices sent to parents.
“Interpreters were available,” said Mihos.
Latham in her March State of the Schools report detailed how the percentage of students who do not speak English as their “first language” has increased from 28 percent of public school enrollment in 1995 to 54 percent in 2012.
“Our language support office has adopted new state initiatives and increased staffing to meet and support the challenges of educating our ethnically and linguistically diverse populations,” Latham wrote in the report.
Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].
