CF should add more language options for parents

According to Speakt, a leading language translation company, “There is no official language in the U.S.” We think English is the top language, but it’s not. There are so many different languages around the world.

But what if English wasn’t a parent’s first language? Parents should have the option to read what is happening  to their children in school, but some can’t because our news about the school is in English.

Counselor Andrew Eisenmanat at Cedar Falls High School said getting different languages around the school is “a fantastic option to be more culturally aware and inclusive by making sure we have multiple languages reflective in our signage in our school.”

Regarding adding more accessibility at school for those with differing language backgrounds, Spanish teacher Katie Llerena Wencl said, “I think it’s great if we can offer different languages or different documents that are needed by parents that speak different languages for our community. One way to go by doing this is reaching out to people that speak those languages within our own community so translators perhaps even our own teachers in our district that are able to help out with this. Another good resource is Hawkeye Community College. They offer a lot of different resources for families that speak different languages at home.”

Parents should get news and understand what’s happening to their children in their languages instead of translating it to their languages on their own. Parents who speak a different language and do not know English very well can go to English class at HCC.