Language Access Services
Jump to: Overview | General Services | Interpreting Services | Translation Services | Parent/Guardian Resources | Contact
General Services
Language Access Services help multilingual families to be better engaged and supported as partners in their child’s education. HCPSS staff facilitate communication between families and educators, and ensure equitable access to information and resources provided by the school system.
Families can request interpreting (oral) and translation (written) services in multiple languages. HCPSS contracts with and trains interpreters who represent the most commonly spoken languages among HCPSS families.
Meaningful Language Access
Interpretation services must be scheduled through the appropriate channels and only qualified interpreters and translators should provide language assistance. There may be occasions when using a professional interpreter or translator is not possible, and it may be suitable to use a qualified bilingual staff member instead.
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR), under Title VI, expects districts to provide language assistance for LEP parents/guardians effectively, with appropriate, competent staff-or appropriate and competent outside resources. It is not sufficient for the staff to be merely bilingual. The Department of Justice (DOJ) advises that, “Competency requires more than self-identification as bilingual.” Some bilingual staff and community volunteers, for instance, may be able to communicate effectively in a different language when communicating information directly in that language, but not competent to interpret in and out of English.
Interpreting Services
In-Person and Virtual Interpretations
Interpreting Services staff are responsible for scheduling interpreters for meetings, conferences and school-wide events. Each school has at least two staff members who are responsible for working with families to submit requests for interpretation services.
Interpreting requests for parents/guardians of Special Education students and students with 504 plans are scheduled by the Special Education office.
Parents/guardians must let their school know that they would like interpreting services so that a staff member can ensure that an interpreter is scheduled.
Over the Phone Interpretation
The Office of Student Access and Achievement provides interpreter support through an outside vendor, Language Line Solutions, to support language access for parents/guardians and families at schools and programs.
Language Line provides on-demand interpretation services in over 230 languages.
Staff members can communicate with families by contacting an over-the-phone interpreter. Families just need to let staff members know the language that they speak.
Language Line calls can only be placed by HCPSS staff members and the service is not used for Individualized Education Program or 504 meetings.
Translation Services
Translations for program-wide and system-wide documents are available in Spanish, Chinese and Korean. Please email translationservices@hcpss.org for more information.
Parent/Guardian Resources
HCPSS Call Center
The HCPSS Call Center is an easy way for parents/guardians to communicate with their child’s school and they may call and leave a message with questions or concerns. Call Center staff check the messages daily.
- Their name and their child’s full name
- Their child’s teacher’s name
- Their phone number (home and/or cell numbers)
- Name of their child’s school
- Reason for the call
Call Center Languages:
- Spanish – 410-313-1591
- Korean – 410-313-1592
- Chinese – 410-313-5920
- Chin – 410-313-5968
Contact
- Jennifer Williams, Language Access Services Supervisor, 410-313-7102
- Angela Lamas Martin, Student Access and Achievement Technical Assistant, 410-313-1293
- Email: interpretingservices@hcpss.org