ISD 191 presents language access plan required by 2024 state law; plan emphasizes translators, interpreters and cultural liaisons

Isis Buchanan, the district's director of educational equity, and Aaron Tinklenberg, director of communications, presented Burnsville Public School District's proposed language access plan at the Sept. 25 board meeting, explaining it implements requirements from 2024 state legislation and formalizes the district's existing language supports.

"This is a document that's required based on new legislation from the 2024 state legislature," Tinklenberg told the board. He said the plan must be publicly available and that the board must review and approve it every two years; the presentation said the district will post the plan on its website and include it in the student handbook.

Buchanan described the plan's operational pieces, including clarifying roles for translators (written translations), interpreters (oral interpretation for meetings), and cultural liaisons who bridge home and school. The plan lists layered approaches: in-person interpreters for high-stakes meetings, district bilingual staff and cultural liaisons for relationship-building, and contracted on-demand services for less-common languages.

Board members asked how the district would serve families who speak less-common languages. Buchanan and Tinklenberg said the district already uses several on-demand phone and video interpreter services and maintains relationships with in-person interpreter agencies. Tinklenberg noted the district recently added a 24/7 on-demand translation layer through a vendor (Propeo) to increase access for documents and non-urgent needs.

Directors raised role clarity for bilingual staff. The presenters said bilingual clerical and support staff may translate documents as part of their job in some cases, but that interpreting in meetings is a specialized skill and the plan distinguishes the two functions. The presentation also said cultural liaisons sometimes translate documents in addition to their liaison work when needed.

The board heard the presentation and asked questions about coverage for rare languages, assurances that multilingual staff are not asked to perform interpretation beyond their job scope, and next steps to publish the plan. No formal action was taken that night; presenters said they would return to the board for adoption and the plan would be posted publicly.