OXNARD : Parents Use Board Translation Services

Taking advantage of translation services, about 400 Oxnard parents, teachers and students attended a board meeting Wednesday in a school gymnasium in the heart of the city’s Latino community.

Using electronic, cordless headsets, Spanish-speaking parents were able to listen to a simultaneous translation of the entire school board meeting at Frank Intermediate School in La Colonia.

“I find it unusual that the district would go this far to reach out to parents,” said Martin Reyes, who came to the meeting with his wife, Marisol. “As a Spanish-speaking parent, I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”

Reyes said he had attended meetings in the past but felt frustrated because he could not understand what was being said.

There was a glitch, however. The district’s 42 headphones were quickly taken by early arrivals, leaving parents such as Margarita and Nicanor Tapia, who arrived 20 minutes after the meeting began, without headsets. “I’m very disappointed,” Margarita Tapia said.

The district also provided baby-sitting services and about 25 children were being watched while their parents attended the meeting.

The board’s decision to hold several of its twice-monthly meetings at school sites is part of an effort to help strengthen ties between Spanish-speaking parents and the school district, Supt. Bernard Korenstein said.

To attract bilingual parents, the district has spent $2,250 to purchase equipment that allows Spanish speakers to participate--including addressing board members. A translator is being paid an hourly rate to provide the service.

About 80% of the elementary and intermediate school district’s 13,000 students are Latino, and 49% of those students speak English as a second language, district figures show.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Spanish-speaking parents were able to express their opinions on graduation ceremony policies, one of the issues on the board’s agenda.

The board also plans to provide simultaneous translation at its next school-site meeting in April at McKinna School.