The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced today that Legacy Traditional Schools (LTS), a network of 22 charter schools in Arizona, has entered into a resolution agreement to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The agreement mandates LTS to provide language assistance to national origin minority students and parents with limited English proficiency (LEP) to ensure their meaningful access to the school's programs and activities.
OCR's investigation revealed several violations by LTS, which the agreement aims to resolve. These include the failure to timely identify English learner (EL) students or adequately notify their parents of their EL status and their options regarding the English Language Development (ELD) program. Additionally, some EL students were not provided with ELD services due to a lack of trained and qualified teachers. OCR also found that LTS administrators lacked training in evaluating teachers who provide ELD services and did not periodically assess the effectiveness of the ELD program.
Further findings indicated that LTS did not monitor the academic progress of current and former EL students adequately. This monitoring is crucial for determining if these students can participate meaningfully in LTS' standard instructional program both during and after exiting the EL program. Moreover, LTS failed to notify some LEP parents in a language they understand about essential information regarding school programs and activities.
OCR's review identified two additional compliance concerns: some LEP parents' decisions to opt their children out of LTS’s EL programs might not have been informed because the information was not communicated in a language they understood; and there were instances where EL students received instruction in less equitable spaces, such as cafeterias instead of classrooms.
To address these issues, LTS agreed to several actions:
- Timely identification and placement of EL students in the ELD program.
- Notification of EL students’ parents about their child's language needs and ELD program options.
- Provision of daily targeted ELD based on each student's level of English proficiency.
- Training for teachers on how to instruct EL students effectively.
- Ensuring that instructional materials for ELD are appropriate and comparable in quality.
- Monitoring academic progress for all current EL students, including those who opted out, offering them an opportunity to opt back into services if needed.
- Consistent monitoring of former EL students' academic progress.
- Observing ELD teachers’ classes to ensure all EL students receive appropriate instruction.
- Evaluating each school's EL program for success and making necessary modifications.
- Notifying employees about interpreter/translation needs for LEP parents, providing free timely services.
- Providing essential information to parents in both English and Spanish, notifying other parents about available translation or interpreter services when needed.
“Through this agreement, Legacy Traditional Schools in Arizona commits to make its education programs equally available to English Learner students and to ensure that parents with limited English proficiency can meaningfully participate in their children’s education,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. “OCR looks forward to continuing work with Legacy Traditional Schools to correct practices that had denied students access to education that is their civil right.”
The letter of resolution and resolution agreement are available on the OCR website.
