Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) is a non-profit regional law firm that provides high quality legal assistance in civil matters to help eligible low-income individuals and groups in western Ohio achieve self reliance, and equal justice and economic opportunity.
Empowering Non-English speaking parents with meaningful access to their children’s education.
Ms. Gonzalez*, a refugee who does not speak English, was having difficulty communicating with teachers and staff at her daughter’s school. The school did not provide information in her native Spanish language, so she was not able to participate in her child’s educational developments. Ms. Gonzalez sought ABLE’s legal assistance so the public school would communicate with her in a language she understood as required by law.
ABLE advocates discovered that the school district was not engaging in legally required communication with many non-English speaking parents within the district. After Ms. Gonzalez’s claims were heard by the district, school officials adopted a policy to provide information in Spanish, not only to Ms. Gonzalez but to all Spanish speaking parents so they could have meaningful engagement in their children’s education.
* This client’s name was changed to protect her privacy.