KVUSD school board meetings to be translated in real time

KELSEYVILLE >> Kelseyville Unified is the first Lake County school district to simulcast all school board meetings in Spanish, vastly improving accessibility for Spanish-speaking community members according to school district officials.

District Superintendent Dave McQueen said, “In a community like ours where 40 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic, providing real-time Spanish translation of our board meeting proceedings allows us to reach more KVUSD families and more Kelseyville residents. Our goal is to make it easier for everyone’s voice to be heard.”

For safety during the pandemic, school board meetings are currently held via Zoom video conferencing, using the Zoom function that allows meeting attendees to select which channel they wish to use: either the English-language channel or the Spanish-language channel where Kelseyville Unified School District translator, Adriana Macias, provides real-time translations. When meetings return to an in-person format, meetings will be held in the Tom Aiken Student Center at Kelseyville High School at 5480 Main Street in Kelseyville. They will also be broadcast via a video conferencing option. At that time, the district will offer headsets that allow on-site Spanish-speaking attendees to hear Macias’s translations in real-time, and the video broadcast will continue in both languages.

KVUSD anticipates resuming in-person school board meetings when the Lake County Public Health Officer says it is advisable to meet in person based on the reduced spread and prevalence of Covid-19.

KVUSD Board Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 7 pm, unless otherwise noted on the agenda.

All members of the public can participate in the public session of the Board Meetings Teleconferenced via Zoom Webcast.

COURTESY PHOTO The Kelseyville Unified School District Office where board meetings used to take place before COVID. The board meetings are held via zoom during the duration of the pandemic.