What are schools required to do for students with language barriers?

Education Forums
1

A student is struggling with a language barrier and can’t access their lesson plans effectively. The school has been informed about this issue, but they haven’t taken any action to help. The student relies on FAFSA and is doing their best to stay on track, but the lack of support is making it very difficult.

Doesn’t the school have a responsibility to provide resources or accommodations for students facing language challenges? If the school keeps ignoring the issue, what steps can the student or their family take to ensure they get the help they need?

2

That sounds frustrating. Schools are supposed to provide support for English Language Learners (ELL). Have you asked about ELL programs?

3

The issue has been brought up, but they haven’t mentioned anything about an ELL program yet.

4

You should request information about it. Schools are legally required to address these kinds of barriers.

5

If they’re ignoring the problem, you might need to escalate it. Have you documented your attempts to contact them?

6

Not yet, but I’m starting to keep records of everything.

7

That’s a smart move. Documentation will help if you need to take this to the district or beyond.

8

Federal laws require schools to ensure all students can access their education. Have you looked into filing a formal complaint?

9

I haven’t yet, but I’m starting to think that might be necessary if nothing changes.

10

You should consider it. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) could be a good place to start.

11

It sounds like the school isn’t meeting their legal obligations. Do you know if they’ve made any effort to provide translated materials or other resources?

12

No, they haven’t provided any translated materials or anything else to help.

13

That’s not okay. They’re required to make education accessible, and that includes providing language support.

14

Does the school realize how this could affect the student’s ability to stay enrolled and maintain FAFSA eligibility?

15

I’m not sure they fully understand how much this is impacting the student.

16

You should make that clear to them. Losing FAFSA eligibility because of their inaction would be unacceptable.