Parents press Greenfield district for on-site interpreters, after-school support and indigenous-language services

During public comment at the March 13, 2025 Greenfield Union School District board meeting numerous parents and community representatives urged the district to provide in-person interpretation at school sites and in the front office, expand bilingual staffing in after-school programs and offer instruction and cultural programming in local Indigenous languages.

Why it matters: Commenters said language access affects families' ability to navigate services, participate in LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan) input, and secure supports such as speech therapy. Several speakers said parents and community members were asked to move to a separate room at a previous meeting and asked the board to ensure equitable access to meetings and services.

What speakers said: Beatrice Diaz thanked the board for adding accessible public-comment opportunities and urged the district to address video and access concerns; she criticized past practice when other individuals submitted public comment on behalf of several named residents rather than those people speaking in person. Ethan Martinez, identifying affiliation with Centro de Nacional, said he had brought forms to the district to request speech therapy for his child and asked for in-person interpreters to help parents who speak Mixtec or other Indigenous languages. Pedro Merino Flores requested Spanish- and Indigenous-language interpreters at school sites and for after-school programs to have staff who can support students in their home languages. Fabia Ramirez and Daviana Ramirez (spelled variously in the record) reiterated requests for ongoing interpreter coverage and access to after-school supports in the families' languages. Clarissa Reyes, representing a local program, said community partners had asked that parents be kept in the main meeting room rather than moved to separate rooms during presentations and stressed equity in access to LCAP discussions. A representative from a community organization described a set of existing programs that provide in-school translation and culturally based after-school activities, including traditional dance, sewing and parent outreach; speakers said these services are available to all families while focusing on Indigenous-language communities.

Board and staff response: Interim Superintendent Cortez and the board thanked community speakers and acknowledged partnerships with community organizations; the interim superintendent said district staff have met with advocates and that the district intends to continue collaborating to expand services. Legal counsel read Brown Act language clarifying that public comment may be heard "before or during" consideration of agenda items. A district staff member noted that interpreters used by the district are professionally trained.

Clarifying details and requests made during public comment: callers asked for (1) in-person interpretation in the front office and at school events; (2) bilingual staff in after-school programs for at least two hours; (3) Indigenous-language instruction and cultural programming in schools; (4) clearer posting of vacancy announcements (one commenter said a superintendent posting was not visible on the district website). Speakers asked the board to avoid practices that could separate or limit access for parents who need interpretation.

Next steps: Community members said they are in ongoing communication with district staff to plan services and programming and indicated they expected continued collaboration ahead of upcoming LCAP work and summer programming.