5,000 multilingual students speaking more than 82 languages.
Yet there is only one Buffalo Schools reopening plan in English.
YEAR.BUT THAT CAN BEEASIER SAID THANDONE WHEN ENGLISHIS YOUR SECONDLANGUAGE..TONIGHT OLIVIA PROIAIS HELPINGFRUSTRATEDPARENTS BREAKDOWN THE LANGUAGEBARRIER AND FINDTHE RESOURCES THEYNEED...FIVE THOUSANDMULTILINGUALSTUDENTS.
MORETHAN 82 LANGUAGES.AND ONE BUFFALOSCHOOLS REOPENINGPLAN... IN ENGLISH.EMILY: AS AN EXPERTIN TRANSLATION, IUNDERSTAND THAT ITMIGHT NOT BEPRACTICAL TO HAVETHE WHOLE DOCUMENTTRANSLATED INTO ALL85 LANGUAGES BUT ITIS AN EQUITY ISSUETHAT OUR ELL FAMILIESARE NOT GETTING THESAME INFORMATION ASEVERYONE ELSE.ENGLISH LANGUAGELEARNER FAMILIES, ORE-L-L FAMILIES, AREFACING AN UPHILLBATTLE.EMILY: IT PRESENTSSOME CHALLENGES TOTHEM TO BE ABLE TOMAKE PLANS ANDDECISIONS ABOUTWHAT THE PARENTSARE GOING TO DO INTHE FALL TO KNOWWHAT THEIR OPTIONSARE, HYBRID ORREMOTE, AND TO BEABLE TO PLAN FORTHAT.THE BUFFALOSCHOOL'S ASSISTANTSUPERINTENDENT OFMULTILINGUALEDUCATION SAYSTHEY'RE WORKING ONSOLUTIONS...LIKEHAVING TRANSLATORSAVAILABLE DURINGPARENT MEETINGS.THEY'RE ALSO USINGTHE SYSTEM TALKINGPOINTS TOCOMMUNICATE WITHE-L-L FAMILIES.NADIA: TALKING POINTSALLOWS FAMILIES TOWRITE IN THEIR HOMELANGUAGE ORPREFERRED LANGUAGETO THE TEACHER ANDTHE PRINCIPAL ANDTHE TEACHER OR THEPRINCIPAL CANRESPOND IN ENGLISHBUT THE TEXT ISRETURNED IN THEIRHOME LANGUAGE.THEY WILL ALSO BEDISTRIBUTING THESEFLYERS, WITHEXPLANATIONS OFNEW TERMS LIKEHYBRID LEARNING ANDREMOTE LEARNING TOE-L-L FAMILIES INTHEIR PREFERREDLANGUAGE.
THERE'SALSO SIX DISTRICTTRANSLATORSAVAILABLE FORPARENTS.NADIA: THIS FLYER WASSENT OUT TO OURPARENTS PRE-COVID.WHAT IT SHOWS IS THENAME OF THEINTERPRETER, THEIRLANGUAGES THAT THEYSPEAK AND HOW TOCONTACT THEM.THE FINAL REOPENINGPLAN WILL BEAVAILABLE IN THEDISTRICT'S TOPLANGUAGES .INBUFFALO OP 7EWN.
We learned the school system has a strict policy on what to do if your child becomes sick at school.
