(1) Each school district must designate a language access liaison to facilitate district compliance with state and federal laws related to family engagement, including the requirements under this section and RCW
28A.183.050. If a school district has a language access coordinator with duties as described in subsection (4)(c) of this section, the language access coordinator may also be the language access liaison.
(2) By October 1, 2022, each school district must adopt a language access policy and procedures that adheres to the principles of an effective language access program for culturally responsive, systemic family engagement established in RCW
28A.183.020 and incorporates the model policy and procedures described in RCW
28A.183.060.
(3) Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, each school district must implement a language access program for culturally responsive, systemic family engagement. Implementation of a language access program requires that a school district, at a minimum, complete the following activities:
(a) Adopt a language access plan that outlines how the school district identifies language access needs, allocates resources, establishes standards for providing language access services, and monitors the effectiveness of the language access program;
(b) Administer the self-assessment for evaluating the provision of language access services, which is part of the toolkit described in RCW
28A.183.030;
(c) Use the guide for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a language access policy, procedures, and plan, which is part of the toolkit described in RCW
28A.183.030. The processes for developing and evaluating the language access policy, procedures, and plan must engage staff, students' families, and other community members in ways likely to result in timely and meaningful feedback, for example partnering with community-based organizations and providing translation and interpretation in common languages understood by students' families;
(d) Review, periodically, the language access policy and procedures adopted as required under subsection (2) of this section to incorporate updates made to the model policy and procedures described in RCW
28A.183.060;
(e) Collaborate with community-based organizations on how to work effectively with interpreters; and
(f) Review, update, and publish, at least annually, information about the school district's language access plan, policy and procedures, and language access services, including the need for, and spending on, language access services. The information must include notice to families about their right to free language access services and the contact information for any school district language access coordinator and any building points of contact for language access services. The information must be translated into common languages understood by students' families.
(4)(a) Except as required under (b) of this subsection, school districts are encouraged to have a language access coordinator with the duties described in (c) of this subsection.
(b) Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, school districts with at least 50 percent English learner enrollment or greater than 75 languages used by students or families must either: (i) Have a full-time language access coordinator with the duties described in (c) of this subsection; or (ii) annually report to the office of the superintendent of public instruction the total number of hours school district staff spent performing the language access coordinator duties described in (c) of this subsection and other information as required by the office of the superintendent of public instruction.
(c) The duties of the school district language access coordinator are to: (i) Serve as the primary contact for families, community members, school district staff responsible for monitoring compliance with chapter
28A.642 RCW, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, and the office of the education ombuds on issues related to language access needs and language access services; (ii) collaborate with any building points of contact for language access services; (iii) receive training and technical assistance provided under RCW
28A.183.030; and (iv) deliver language access training and support to school district staff.
(5) The requirements in this section do not apply to school districts with both fewer than 1,000 enrolled students and less than 10 percent English learner enrollment.