District presents language‑access plan to meet Minnesota statute; board given timeline for review

Jessica Marker, the district’s director of teaching and learning, presented the Kasson‑Mantorville School District’s language access plan, which the district said is required by Minnesota statute. Marker told the board the plan consolidates existing practices: identification of students and families with a home language other than English (via enrollment surveys and teacher/family communication), short‑form translations through Reach My Teach, document translation services for required notices, and availability of qualified interpreters for conferences and individualized education program (IEP) meetings.

Marker emphasized the district will not use students as interpreters and noted bilingual Spanish‑speaking staff are the most prevalent multilingual resource in the district. The plan includes staff translation for longer documents, website translation options, family training sessions to help families access translated resources, and a process for emergency communications that pairs automated translation with follow‑up by multilingual staff.

Marker said the district advisory committee reviewed the plan in February and provided a sample approval before the board review; the district plans an annual review and a formal board presentation every two years. Board members asked whether the plan introduced new practices; presenters said it primarily formalizes work the district was already doing and filled a statutory requirement.

"The language access plan is a law Minnesota statute there requires that we adopt a language access plan starting this school year," Marker said during the presentation. Board members expressed appreciation for staff efforts to ensure families can access communications on the platforms they prefer (including WhatsApp) and for training sessions held for families to learn how to use translation tools.