Communicating with national-origin language minority parents about school related matters in a language they understand is a crucial aspect of assuring meaningful access. In this regard the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has issued agreement letters resulting from investigations alleging that schools receiving federal funds have discriminated against national-origin language minority parents by failing to provide information in languages they understand. This document offers information on two such complaints against the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). Though the agreement is specific to TUSD it does illustrate OCR's areas of concern and point out important issues for school districts.

Tucson USD/OCR Agreement Letter

To aid recipients of Federal financial assistance maintain programs that assure meaningful access for all people they serve, the Federal Interagency Working Group on LEP has developed a self assessment and planning tool that school districts can use. The Self Assessment Planning Tool offers the legal guidance that school districts must follow in assuring meaningful access for ELL students and their parents. The following additional resources offer information from the Interagency Working Group on LEP at the U.S. Department of Justice as well as several checklists practitioners can utilize to assess how well their school district assures meaningful access.

Language Assistance Self-Assessment Planning Tool

A self-assessment planning tool developed by the Interagency Working Group on LEP at the U.S. Department of Justice. The assessment addresses the following four factors: the number or proportion of LEP persons eligible to be served or likely to be encountered by the program or grantee/recipient; the frequency with which LEP individuals come in contact with the program; the nature and importance of the program, activity, or service provided by the program to people's lives; and the resources available to the grantee/recipient and costs.

Meaningful Access for People Who Are Limited English Proficient

The web site for the Interagency Working Group on LEP.

Self Assessment Worksheet

This checklist was adapted from the Language Assistance Self-Assessment Planning Tool developed by the Interagency Working Group on LEP at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Language Access Assessment

Compiled from various sources and the U.S. Department of Justice LEP Guidance by the National LEP Advocacy Task Force.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
Interagency Working Group on LEP, C/O Coordination and Review Section - NYA, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington DC 20530
National LEP Advocacy Task Force, Kathy Poulos-Minott, lep@maine.rr.com 85 Lester Drive, Portland, Maine 04103 Tel: 207-878-5196