Hazleton Area board hears expansion plans as multilingual enrollments rise to 29%

At a Nov. board meeting, the Hazleton Area School District’s English language development team told the board the district’s population of multilingual learners has risen substantially and outlined program expansions aimed at supporting rapid growth. The department reported that multilingual learners increased from 2,691 students (21% of the district) in 2021 to 3,750 students (29%) as of the morning of the meeting, including roughly 600 newcomers who arrived this year.

The department’s leader, identified in the transcript as Mrs. Biden, said the district has expanded services with a K–6 Newcomer Center, evening English classes for parents (with free childcare), Spanish classes for staff, an ESL summer program, career days, bilingual paraprofessionals and an ESL credit‑recovery option. She said the district now employs 53 ELD teachers, 15 bilingual…