Are schools still required to provide information to parents in their primary language?
Yes. When 15 percent or more of the pupils enrolled in the school speak a single primary language other than English, all notices, reports, statements, or records sent by the school or district to the parent/guardian of any such pupil must, in addition to being written in English, be written in such primary language, and may be responded to by the parent or guardian in English or in the primary language. In addition, federal law requires that schools and districts provide information in an understandable format and to the extent practicable in a language that is understandable to the parent, regardless of percentage of students that speak a language other than English (EC 48985; NCLB 1111[h][6][C] and 3302 [c]).
