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Teachers, parents and union ask Baltimore City Schools to expand multilingual family office
Summary
At the Feb. 11 Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners meeting, the Baltimore Teachers Union and multiple public commenters urged City Schools to expand the Multilingual Family Engagement Office from two staff to six, and to strengthen translation, newcomer programming and transportation support for international staff and families.
The Baltimore Teachers Union and multiple public commentators asked the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners on Feb. 11 to expand the district’s Multilingual Family Engagement Office and strengthen supports for multilingual students, newcomer families and international staff.
“We urge the district to increase staffing in the Multilingual Family Engagement Office from 2 to 6 positions so that we can truly meet the needs of our students and their families,” said Christina Duncan Evans, teacher chapter chair for the Baltimore Teachers Union, during the board’s public-comment period. Evans said the office currently provides language access tools and newcomer programming but is “simply not enough” for a growing immigrant student population.
Several other speakers — including representatives from school-based and community groups and a classroom teacher — described similar needs. Shelly Ann Higgins, a teacher at Excel Academy at Francis Scott Key High School, said the international staff and families need more translation, multilingual special-education supports, better…
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