A few years ago, an 11th grader in California was on the brink of being expelled from school. His mother, a Chinese immigrant still struggling with English, scheduled a meeting with school officials to discuss the problem, and asked her son's former teacher to accompany her and serve as her interpreter.

Although the teacher agreed, the school prohibited this young man’s mother from bringing her own interpreter to the meeting, claiming that the school would provide its own. This person was not a certified interpreter and provided a vague translation of this extremely important conversation about her son’s life.

Compelled by this disturbing incident, the ACLU is working to make sure no parent is denied the right to bring his or her own interpreter to any meeting with school officials. Parents deserve to have someone who is competent and whom they can trust when dealing with important decisions affecting their child’s education.

Take Action NOW and urge the governor to sign AB 1510 into law. This bill will allow parents Limited in English Proficiency (LEP) to bring an oral language interpreter to parent meetings.

Parents given language access are stronger advocates for their children, who may otherwise fall through the cracks.  A child’s education and future are too important to leave parents lost in translation.

Urge Governor Schwarzenegger to sign this bill into law today.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I urge you to sign AB 1510, which would allow parents Limited in English Proficiency (LEP) to bring an oral language interpreter to meetings with school officials when it does not conflict with existing laws.

School districts struggle to meet the interpretation needs of parents, partly due to an inadequate knowledge of existing laws and inadequate fiscal resources. Further, there are situations where state and federal laws do not require school districts to provide interpreters for LEP parents. This bill would give parents a right to bring their own interpreter under these circumstances.

The bill would also apply to suspension and expulsion proceedings. These parent meetings have high-stakes consequences and long-term implications for children's futures. Suspension and expulsion reduce the likelihood of graduating on time and often lead students to drop out. Students who do not graduate from high school have a reduced earning capacity, are more likely to be unemployed, and are over-represented in the criminal justice system. Suspension and expulsion also disproportionately affect students of color. It's critical that parents have the opportunity to fully understand and effectively participate in meetings about these issues; language should not be an obstacle.

For these reasons, I urge you to sign AB 1510 into law.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 28, 2009