Bill > A00250

This bill establishes the "Education Equity Act" to provide language assistance services for parents and guardians of public school students whose primary language is not English. The bill requires school districts to create annual language assistance plans that assess language needs and develop strategies to support non-English speaking families. Each school district must determine the primary language of parents or guardians during student enrollment and provide interpretation services by telephone during business hours in covered languages, which are defined as the most commonly spoken languages (other than English) in a given district. The bill mandates translation of key documents like report cards, permission slips, and important communications into covered languages, and requires school districts to display signs and provide documents explaining language assistance rights in multiple languages. School districts must also provide mechanisms for quick document translation and annual reporting to local education boards about language assistance services, including the number of non-English speaking parents, translation efforts, interpretation services, and related budgetary information. The bill applies to school districts statewide, with slightly different requirements for districts in cities of different population sizes, and allows for flexibility in implementation while ensuring meaningful language access for parents and guardians.

Education

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A250