Breaking Barriers in Georgia Schools

Imagine being at a parent-teacher conference. The teacher is discussing that a student needs immediate help with reading progress. A parent wants to help but does not fully understand what the teacher is saying, nor what the child is doing wrong. A parent then goes home with a take-home plan and no way to help their student due to language barriers.

This is an issue that many Georgia families face. In May, Governor Brian Kemp signed the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026. This act allowed funding to be allocated in support of students to access literacy coaches in elementary schools. The state should assist schools in helping students achieve literacy success and allow parents who don’t speak English to receive support they understand.

The U.S. Department of Education prioritizes key school information to be shared with parents in languages they understand or speak. Federal law requires schools to communicate with parents with limited English proficiency (LEP). Georgia should prioritize communicating with parents by requiring schools to staff language interpreters and allocate funds for schools to ensure a solid routine for parent-teacher communication. In Clarke County’s student newspaper, federal Title III funds amount to only a few hundred dollars per student.

Allowing translators for families is more than their semester report cards. The department’s English Learner Family Toolkit lists resources to help families of English learners navigate the U.S. education system. The toolkit lists rules that require parent meetings and school rules in areas where schools must post information. Children with disabilities are also included, and parents need to understand their choices and ask questions in each of the surrounding areas. When parents receive notice of a matter surrounding their student, they should receive a translated notice.

Clarke County has done a great job so far assisting families. Clarke County School District has nearly 16% of students who are English learners, according to the Clarke Central High School student newspaper. This comes to about 2,000 children that the district needs to take care of. Clarke offers multilingual phone lines for families who speak Spanish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese, and other languages. A phone line does not equate to a trained interpreter explaining to the parent in real time.

According to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, enrollment in Georgia’s English learner
program grew 61% between fiscal years 2011 and 2019. Compared to the national average in the
years 2000 to 2017, English enrollment in Georgia grew at a 3.5% higher rate. Around 78% of
English Learners speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Chinese at home.

The 74 reported that this is not only a problem in Georgia, but families all over the nation rely on apps like Google Translate, their children, or staff that is not trained. Tennessee allocates funds for translators, and its school funding formula includes a funded translator position for every 200 English learners. Compared to Georgia, Clarke County has about 2,000 English learners, so that would require about 10 trained translators to support them. Georgia can use models such as Tennessee’s to add translator liaisons to build good communication with parents and schools.

Georgia lawmakers should take steps toward adding a line for trained interpreters and bilingual family liaisons to the state funding formula. This would include ensuring that each interpreter meets a standard of expectations. Georgia could also create a grant fund for districts that speak less common languages. Funding should be allocated based on how many families need assistance and what languages are being used. Money is necessary for this proposition, so schools need a steady source of assistance so shared tools will leave room for everyone’s needs.

Dekalb County schools provide language access cards that allow staff to bring interpreters to assist them. They also offer interpretation in person and over the phone. Districts can consider using the same or similar tools, while taking into consideration what works best for families.

Interpreters would ensure that meetings between teachers and parents are clear. Bilingual liaisons are there to ensure families understand how to use the necessary tools to read report cards, request assistance, and enroll in different classes. This allows parents to ask all the questions that they have to ensure communication never falls short.

Some might be opposed to the cost of such a proposition. According to the Intercultural Development Research Association, Georgia has funded its school funding formula about three times in the last 25 years. A new line would need funding, but districts already fall short with language accesses and that is a bigger risk than a budget shortfall because of civil rights law. State support could help districts regulate without dipping into other budgets.

Athens will take the first step towards this. Clarke County has already implemented multiple multilingual phone lines and translation help. Georgia can use a state-funded pool that allows researchers to collect data on what families need or are missing. Athens will be a guideline for other districts alongside DeKalb.

Every parent wants to know how to help their child. A language barrier should never stop parents from understanding what is going on. Georgia can obtain trained interpreters and family liaisons to ensure parents know what’s going on. All families deserve to have their voices heard, even if they speak limited English.