Yakima School District outlines language access plan, adds AI translation tool and staff training

Kirsten Fitterer, the Yakima School District’s language access coordinator, told the school board on Jan. 21 that the district is sustaining and expanding translation and interpretation services through a mix of human interpreters, website tools and a new AI-assisted written-translation tool.

Fitterer said the district’s language-access work is guided by operational procedure 4218 and federal civil-rights requirements under Title VI and cited RCW 28A.642.080. “This is when we're talking about communicating with our parents and guardians,” Fitterer said, adding that the district’s work focuses on family communication rather than direct classroom language support for students.

The presentation said families in the Yakima School District speak 13 languages in total. The district uses ParentSquare for two-way messaging and a telephonic interpretation service called Language Link available 24/7 for schools. Fitterer also described Weglot, a website-translation tool the district uses to refine automated translations, and a new written-translation product, Paraphrase, which the district purchased for about $8,000 to speed accurate document translations.

Fitterer said the Paraphrase tool can apply a district glossary and deliver draft translations quickly, then the district’s language-access supervisor reviews output for quality assurance. “Anna [Villasenor] provides all quality assurance for the Spanish language translations that are kicked out from Paraphrase,” Fitterer said, noting Villasenor has been with the district 31 years and is retiring this year. The district plans to train 10 frequent users on the Paraphrase license and continue a layered quality-assurance process.

Board members asked about instant conversation devices for front offices; Fitterer said the district is testing three devices and has trialed them in Spanish and Japanese but is not recommending districtwide purchases yet because the technology and Wi‑Fi requirements are still evolving. She said single-family needs are already supported: even when a language is spoken by only one family in the district, the district has processes to provide interpretation.

Fitterer also noted the district checks language counts three times a year to determine whether to add languages to the roster. The district will continue working with its legal counsel before translating copyrighted curriculum materials and will monitor and refine the mix of human and technological services.

The presentation concluded with Fitterer inviting questions and saying the district will continue to increase staff capacity for translation while maintaining quality controls.

The board did not take a formal vote on the language-access plan during the meeting.