District highlights language support services and hotline for non‑English speaking families

Cumberland County Schools reviewed its Language Support Services on a Family Academy livestream, describing interpretation and translation supports for families, a district hotline for real‑time help, and the most‑requested languages.

Daphna Consalvi and Ruth Rivera from the Communications and Community Engagement department said the district provides phone interpretation, in‑person interpreters, and translation of documents, noting that Spanish, Haitian Creole and Arabic are among the top three languages served. Consalvi said families can request language support by calling the language support line at (910) 678‑2300 and pressing number 2 for an interpreter.

Usage and scope: presenters said the language support line has supported more than 1,000 families with real‑time interpretation and that nearly every department and most schools use the service for activities such as enrollment, registration and parent outreach. Staff described options for translation, video conferences and in‑person interpretation via a request form.

Why it matters: presenters said the services exist to ensure language is not a barrier to engagement and to help families complete registration, understand documents and participate in meetings.

Clarifications: presenters asked families to call the language support line or their child's school for assistance; specific staffing levels, turnaround times for written translations, or the full list of supported languages were not enumerated during the session.

Ending: district staff reiterated the hotline number and encouraged families to request language support as needed.