Guiding Principles
As part of our Special Education focus areas - Creating Inclusive Cultures and Increasing Student Voice - we can provide interpretation services at meetings and translated documents.
All members of an IEP team need to be able to participate meaningfully in the team discussion and decision process. Student and parent voice is critical to developing an Individualized Education Plan. If a parent's primary language is not English, the district should provide an interpreter for meetings.
Procedural Guidance
State law requires that we translate all notices for parents whose primary language is not English. Examples of notices that need to be translated:
- Meeting Notice
- Prior Written Notice of Special Education Action
- Consent for Evaluation
- Consent for Initial Provision
- Consent to Disclose Medical Information (Release of Information)
We should also provide Procedural Safeguards (Parent's Rights) in the parent's language. Check with student services secretaries if you need a copy of the Procedural Safeguards in a language other than Spanish, or check the ODE website for translated procedural safeguards.
Translating IEP's
In general, we do not translate IEP's unless the parent makes a specific request -- because the parent was present and participated in the IEP meeting. If English is not their primary language, an interpreter should have been present at the meeting. The interpreter helped the parent understand the draft IEP. The interpreter also helped the parent ask questions and provide input to the crafting of the final IEP. So the parent should not require a translated copy of the IEP.
However, if the parent requests a translated copy of the IEP, we can provide it. Before translating the full text of the IEP, it is a good idea for the case manager to talk with the parent (with the support of an interpreter) to identify what specific questions they have. Often, it is possible to answer the parent's question without providing a translation of the full IEP document. They may be requesting a translation when really they have one or two questions that can be answered easily over the phone or in a brief meeting.
If the parents still request the translated copy of the IEP, please contact Lauren, Stephanie or Calley in Student Services.
Translating Evaluation Reports
In general, we do not translate Evaluation Reports. As with the IEP meeting, if a parent does not speak English as their primary language, there should be an interpreter at the Eligibility meeting. The interpreter will help the parent understand the evaluation report and allow the parent to ask questions of the team and provide input for the eligibility decision. If the parent still has questions about the details of the evaluation report after the Eligibility meeting, it would be best to schedule a time for the school psych and/or case manager to meet with the parent again with an interpreter present. In addition, we have a bilingual school psych who can help with these conversations. Contact student services secretaries to help set this up.
Translating Progress Notes
Progress notes in the IEP do not need to be translated. They are similar to other forms of progress reporting (like quarter/semester report cards, OAKS/Smarter Balanced reports) which are not translated. However, if a parent makes a specific request for a translation of progress notes we can make that happen.
Resources
- Google Translate can be used to translate sections of the IEP, as well as text to be entered into Prior Written Notices or Meeting notices. Please do not add personally identifiable information into Google Translate, and note on the document - "This translation was completed by a third party translation tool, please reach out to the case manager with any questions".
FAQ's
Board Policy IGBAF
