Multilingual Translation Requirements in Education

Public Act 23-150 incorporates several provisions that enhance existing state and federal protections for parents of multilingual students. The Act officially replaces the term "English language learner" with "multilingual learner." It mandates the Connecticut State Board of Education (CSBE) to create a formal bill of rights for parents or guardians of multilingual learners. Additionally, the Act specifies that boards of education must offer specific translation services for multilingual learner students and their parents, as detailed below.

Multilingual Education Bill of Rights

Public Act 23-150 reaffirms and broadens current multilingual education mandates by requiring that the forthcoming bill of rights explicitly incorporate the following declarations concerning the legal entitlements of multilingual students and their parents.

Starting from the 2024-25 academic year, according to Public Act 23-150, boards of education offering either bilingual instruction programs or English as a new language instruction programs must provide hard copies of the newly developed multilingual learner bill of rights to eligible students' parents in their primary language. The law does not specify the exact timing for distribution but mandates annual distribution, ideally before newly-enrolled students commence any bilingual or English instruction program.

Additionally, the law requires that boards providing such programs must post the bill of rights on their websites. While the law does not specify further details, a single English version of the bill of rights is presumably adequate for website posting purposes.

Multilingual Learner Rights

  • The right to access public school education irrespective of immigration status;
  • The right to translation services as specified below;
  • The right to participate in bilingual education programs as currently defined by state law;
  • The right to receive comprehensive orientation sessions in their primary language, detailing state standards, assessments, and school expectations for multilingual students, as well as the objectives and requirements of bilingual education and English as a new language programs;
  • The right to meet with school staff to discuss the child's English language development;
  • The right to be placed in bilingual education or English as a new language programs where offered by the school board;
  • The right to have equitable access to all school-level educational programs;
  • The right to access all core grade-level subjects equally;
  • The right to undergo annual language proficiency assessments;
  • The right to receive support services aligned with any intervention plans provided to all students by the school or district;
  • The right to remain continuously enrolled annually in bilingual education or English as a new language programs as long as they remain eligible students

Parent/Guardian Rights

  • The right to enroll their child in public school without needing to present immigration documents;
  • The right to receive written notifications, in both English and their primary language, informing them of their child's eligibility for bilingual education or English as a new language programs;
  • The right to receive comprehensive orientation sessions in their primary language, detailing state standards, assessments, and school expectations for multilingual students, as well as the objectives and requirements of bilingual education and English as a new language programs;
  • The right to receive updates on their child’s progress in English language development;
  • The right to contact the Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE) with questions or concerns regarding their child's entitlement to services or accommodations, including information on recourse if the board of education fails to provide or ensure such services or accommodations

Translation Services for Multilingual Students

Under the new legislation, multilingual students are specifically guaranteed translation services during "critical interactions" with educators and administrators, defined as "parent-teacher conferences, meetings with school administrators where the student is enrolled, and properly noticed regular or special board of education meetings or scheduled meetings with board members."

According to the new law, translation services must be provided by an interpreter who can be physically present, available via phone or through an approved online platform, or accessed through a website or other approved translation application by the CSBE. For board of education meetings or direct meetings with board members, requests for translation services must be submitted at least one day prior to the meeting. These requirements for board of education translation services took effect on July 1, 2023.

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