Hartford Public Schools must adapt to a culturally diverse city
Depending on the county in which you live in Connecticut, 10.3 percent to 29.9 percent of the population primarily speaks a language other than English at home. In Hartford County, about 25.2 percent of the population — 213,000 residents — speak a language other than English. That includes my son Adrian and I.
Adrian is 15 years old and having him in school has been challenging since he requires special assistance for his disabilities. He was diagnosed with autism when he was 6 years old with delayed speech and development. It’s time for Hartford Public Schools to start working on a better system for immigrant parents who are not English native speakers.
Right now, more than 111,184 people in the city of Hartford are Spanish speakers, and more than 12,000 speak Polish. Even though many public schools in the United States offer students linguistic immersion in Spanish and other languages, it is common for immigrant parents or families of students in Hartford public high schools to be in the dark about their children’s progress in school because of the lack of interpreters who can offer quality document translation and on-site interpreting services.
As Adrian’s mother, it is important for me to be aware of his advancement in class, but the resources in Hartford Public Schools are limited for me as a native Spanish speaker. Every time I join the “Planning and Placement” (PPT) meetings, I am left confused about Adrian’s needs. I’ve expressed my concerns with the school and there has been no change. All the reports are sent in English; when I ask to have them sent in Spanish they say it can’t be done and that I need to learn English.
My story is one of many. Our Madres Guerreras committee at Make the Road Connecticut launched a campaign earlier this year titled, “No More Barriers, Access to Education Now,” to demand language equity in our children’s schools.
We are moms who struggle every day. Recently, Hartford Public Schools launched the “Step by Step” program, which seeks to hire teachers from Puerto Rico who are bilingual. While I welcome the intent, this is not enough for our community. These teachers are not required to be certified or professional interpreters. Hartford Public Schools need to do better.
Having a professionally trained interpreter present addresses this issue by providing parents with the information they need in an easy-to-understand manner. It also allows the parent to respond or participate in real-time.
It is time for the Hartford Public Schools and leaders to adapt to the culturally diverse city in which we live. This includes ensuring that interpreters and translators are knowledgeable in both languages and are trained in the role of an interpreter and translator, and ensuring schools communicate information to parents with limited English proficiency in a language they can understand. Our children deserve and need more.