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District presents completed language access plan to expand translation and interpretation services
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Summary
South Washington County Schools presented a district language access plan to standardize identification of families' preferred languages, expand interpreter and translation resources (in-person, phone, video, web translation), and train staff on plain language, cultural competence and use of interpreters.
Dr. Megan Hickey, executive director of student support services, and Sean Hogendorf, director of communications, presented the district’s completed language access plan at the Nov. 6 board workshop, saying the plan is intended to ensure equitable access to information for families who speak more than 80 languages represented in the district.
The plan defines how the district will identify a family's preferred language and describes a mix of services to be used: in-person, telephone and video interpretation; a Minnesota-based professional translation vendor for formal documents; Weglot for web translation of the district site into multiple languages; automated translation for newsletters; and a paid AI product for informal or crisis communications. The presenters also described using qualified multilingual district staff for informal interpretation where appropriate and stressed the importance of relying on professional interpreters for formal or high-stakes communications.
Hickey and Hogendorf said the district has translated more than 400,000 words on its website, used more than 5,700 minutes (about 95 hours) of professional interpretation and welcomed more than 125 new-to-country families since July 1, 2025. They described outreach practices that include newcomer meetings at elementary schools, community-education partnership events and ELL teacher engagement to connect families to district services.
Board members asked about turnaround times and costs for translations. Staff said typical turnaround for non-crisis documents is one to three days and that urgent translations are possible at higher cost. The presenters outlined training planned for staff on Title VI obligations (race, color, national origin), working with interpreters, writing in plain language for clearer translations and cultural understanding. Staff indicated the plan would be published on the district website and disseminated through newsletters and family ambassadors after any final edits requested by the board.
Hickey emphasized that the goal is not only compliance but to increase family participation and trust, and to improve student outcomes by removing language barriers to engagement.
