Justice Dept. Forces Prov Public Schools to Provide English Language Services to 8,000 Students
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the United States Attorney’s’ Office of Rhode Island announced a settlement with the Providence public school district that will provide English language services to the district’s nearly 8,000 English language learners.
Providence mayoral candidate Robert DeRobbio added, “Providence students shouldn’t need a federal investigation to get a good education. Providence teachers shouldn’t need a federal investigation to have access to the resources they need to teach their students. The current administration has done nothing to improve our schools besides empty rhetoric. Instead of solving real problems, the mayor has chosen to pick political fights with our teachers and has forced them to work without a contract for over a year."
In Providence nearly 60% of students come from homes where English is either a second language or is not spoken at all, only 20% of teachers were certified to teach students for whom English was not their primary language. It was only after the federal investigation began that Jorge Elorza’s school department started offering affordable ways for teachers to learn best practices for engaging English Language Learners.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThere was no comment from Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza.
The Agreement
The agreement comes from the United States’ investigation under the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974.
Under the agreement, the district will:
- Properly identify and place English Learner students when they enroll in the district’s 41 schools, and communicate with parents about program offerings and other essential information in a language they understand;
- Provide adequate English language services to all English Learner students so that they can become proficient in English and access grade-level core content instruction;
- Ensure appropriate services for English Learner students with disabilities;
- Secure a sufficient number of teachers who are certified in English as a Second Language, and train the administrators and teachers who implement the English Learner programs; and
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of its English Learner programs over time.
“As a result of this settlement agreement, English Learner students will now receive all of the services they are legally entitled to and deserve,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch for the District of Rhode Island.
The case was litigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy R. Romero of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island and Trial Attorney Andrea Hamilton of the Education Opportunities Section, Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice.
The enforcement of the Equal Educational Opportunities Act is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.
Related Slideshow: 2018 Rhode Island Criminal Justice Hall of Fame Inductees - June 2018
Related Articles
- Wednesday on LIVE: Bestselling Author Bloom, Cartoonist Parisi, & Rep. Amore Talks Guards at Schools
- Kaplan and Fenton Call for Re-Invention of Providence Schools
- Rep. Amore on Bill to Put Armed School Resources Officers in All RI Schools
- Gubernatorial Candidate Trillo Says “No Simple 100% Solution” to Protecting Schools
- LIVE: Providence Teachers Union Head Blasts Trump’s Guns in Schools Proposal
- Dept. of Health Investigating Allergic Reactions of Students to Kiwi Fruit at 14 Schools
- NEW: Providence Public Schools Will Open on 1-hour Delay on Tuesday
- Prov Parking Ban to Remain in Effect, RIPTA to Resume, Schools Closed Friday
- Raimondo’s Big Bet - $1 billion to Improve Schools Over 5 Years
- RI League of Charter Schools to Host Annual Fair at Times2 Academy in Providence
- Raimondo and Mattiello Back-to-Back on LIVE - Talk PawSox, Partners Health, and $1B for Schools
- Whitcomb: Turning Schools Into War Zones; Town-Gown Battles; Kettle Was a Kid; Rhode Island’s Venice
- Morgan Calls on Kilmartin to Use Remaining Google Funds to Secure Schools
- Firing Back on Charter Schools: Guest MINDSETTER™ Senator Sheehan
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Sheehan: Public Oversight is a Necessity for RI Charter Schools
- Providence Schools in Chaos — Teachers Union Blisters Elorza for Comments About Teachers and Race
- General Assembly Approves Bill Forbidding the Advertising of Unhealthy Foods in Schools
- General Assembly Passes Bill to Improve Effectiveness of Sexual Abuse Reporting in Schools
- LIVE: RI Charter Schools’ Oliveira on Battling for Level Playing Field in 2018
- Providence Parking Ban to Stay In Effect Until 6 a.m., Prov Schools Open on 2-Hour Delay