Greenfield district expands on-demand translation, outreach to indigenous families; outlines anti-bullying and SEL steps

Interim Superintendent Cortez told the Greenfield Union Elementary District Board that the district has expanded language-access services and cultural supports for indigenous families and is tracking early usage data.

Cortez said the district now provides staff with an on-demand interpretation app and has in-person interpretation at the Family Resource Center on Thursdays, plus audio translations of flyers sent through ParentSquare. “They just want these services for the community,” Cortez said, summarizing feedback from parent leaders.

The presentation came after a series of public comments in which parents and community organizers urged more in-person interpreters, culturally relevant extracurricular programs and clearer outreach during the Local Control and Accountability Plan — LCAP — engagement period. Several speakers asked specifically for consistent, in-person language support at school sites and conferences so families can participate in LCAP input and parent-teacher conferences.

Cortez described how staff use an interpretation app (noted in the presentation) so parents “do not need to have the app,” because district employees can initiate the call for families who need interpretation. The superintendent’s slides, shared with the board, reported 28 on-demand interpretation requests (11 in Triqui, 10 in Bisteko and 7 in Spanish) and 19 in-person interpretation events recorded to date. The district also reported 5,241 audio flyer plays in a 30-day window and smaller per-language streaming totals in that period.

Cortez said the district is collecting preferred-language data during parent-teacher conference week to improve targeting of services and is posting videos and welcome-center cards that explain how to request interpretation. She also introduced representatives of the district’s language vendor (identified on slides) and said the vendor’s team members are community-based. The presentation included a flyer listing Family Resource Center hours and site liaisons.

Cortez addressed bullying concerns raised by parents and said the district has added social-emotional learning (SEL) check-ins and counseling capacity. “Every single school site has two counselors and a social worker,” she said, and staff use weekly SEL lessons and anonymous reporting tools at the middle school. The slides included a screenshot of an SEL check-in dashboard used by teachers to identify students who need follow-up.

Cortez also summarized pilot after-school clubs focused on Indigenous cultural activities: Vista Verde’s program meets weekly with 10 enrolled students (beadwork and traditional foods); Oak Avenue has 24 students split across grades and two weekly meeting blocks; Mary Chapa had a three-student startup group at the time of the presentation. The superintendent said staff leaders are coordinating curriculum and guest speakers across sites.

Public commenters who identified themselves as parent leaders and organizers pressed for immediate, in-person interpreters at conferences and for more prominent advance notice about LCAP meetings so families can attend and give input. District staff and some trustees affirmed they would publicize dates and offer in-person support at the Family Resource Center for parents who need help completing the LCAP survey.

The board did not take a separate formal vote on the interpretation program during the presentation; trustees asked clarifying questions and directed staff to continue outreach and data collection.

The presentation materials and the district’s usage data will be posted to ParentSquare and the district welcome centers, the interim superintendent said. She asked the community to use the Family Resource Center hours for in-person help when needed.