CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — The Clay County School District must revise its policies and services to non-English speaking students, after an investigation by the United States Department of Justice found the district failed to provide proper language instruction for students and their parents, according to a release by the DOJ Monday.
According to the release, the Clay County School District failed to ensure equal access to all students, resulting in non-English speaking students being unable to participate in core classes like math, science and social studies.
The investigation also found that the district failed to provide instruction to students to help them become fluent in English and did not provide non-English speaking parents with important information in a language they could understand.
"Equal access to educational opportunities is at the heart of civil rights protections for our youth and students are entitled to equal access despite any language barriers they may have," said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida.
In an agreement with the DOJ announced Monday, the district is now required to update its practices so non-English speaking students can overcome language barriers and have "the opportunity to equally benefit from the academic and behavioral supports provided to their peers," the release states.
This includes identifying non-English learners shortly after enrollment, and ensuring all teachers are qualified and trained to support students so they can become fluent in English, and understand their educational courses. The district will also provide parents who are not fluent in English with language interpretations and translations for important school information.
The Justice Department said it will oversee the implementation of the agreement in Clay County schools for the next four school years.
The Florida-Times Union reports the agreement will affect at least 1,250 students in the 36,000-student school system where students and their families speak 43 languages. Of those languages, the most predominant are Spanish, Haitian-Creole, and Tagalog.
"Students who are learning English have the right to engage in coursework alongside their peers, and schools must take action necessary to make that right a reality," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division. "The Justice Department will continue to hold schools accountable when they fail to deliver on our collective promise of equality."
The Clay County School District is fully cooperating with the investigation, the DOJ said.
First Coast News reached out to the Clay County School District for comment on the investigation and received the following statement:
“The District was contacted in 2019 regarding support services for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The District continues to work through our Title III and ESOL Department to ensure our teachers are certified and trained in strategies that successfully support and teach ESOL students while simultaneously teaching students the English language. Our current program has been approved by the state of Florida, and the District stands prepared to continue building upon the success of our current English Learner Program and expand the program through the implementation of additional coaching and support.”
