Parents urge better coordination for multilingual students with special needs, call for RAFT supports and parent advocates

Parents at a District Parent Advisory Committee meeting described lessons from a bilingual education conference and urged the district to strengthen supports for multilingual students with special needs, improve coordination with the RAFT after‑school program and expand parent‑led advocacy and interpreter access.

The recommendations came primarily from an extended public comment by a parent who attended multiple workshops at the conference and later helped organize a parent support group. The parent said the workshops highlighted “how we can help families of multilinguistic students with exceptional needs” and described a new group that has begun meeting to support families with special‑needs children who also speak multiple languages.

Why it matters: parents said multilingual students with special needs face gaps when they move between the school day and after‑school programs. They reported that after‑school staff often do not receive handoffs about students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans, which can leave children without needed accommodations…