A.G. Gancarski
A Northeast Florida school district is getting guidance from the Justice Department on protecting students whose first language is not English.
The DOJ found that Clay County failed to give English learner students instruction that would lead to fluency, failed to give parents who don’t speak English information in their primary language, and did not help students learn core content, while also failing to provide academic or behavioral help.
“Students who are learning English have the right to engage in coursework alongside their peers, and schools must take action necessary to make that right a reality,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This agreement will help ensure that English learner students in Clay County are given the tools necessary to succeed and strive in the classroom.”
“School districts must provide English learner students with appropriate services to overcome language barriers,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We are pleased that the Clay County School District has agreed to embrace its obligation to meet the language needs of its English learners so that students can learn English and fully participate in the district’s educational experience. Equal access to educational opportunities is at the heart of civil rights protections for our youth and students are entitled to equal access despite any language barriers they may have.”
The district noted that graduation rates and English proficiency levels for English learner students rose in recent years as a defense, but the Justice Department noted flaws in the data collection made it impossible to say how much those gains meant.
Clay will have to develop an English learner program, train ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teachers, offer English language education to increase proficiency, and use an interpreter or translators when dealing with parents who are not fluent in English.
