Outline of the state of Florida
State
Florida
Required

Category
Engagement of Parents of English Language Learners

Category
Engagement of Parents of English Language Learners

State law requires parent and family engagement as a component of English Language Learner (ELL) programs.

Florida Administrative Code 6A-6.0904 Equal Access to Appropriate Instruction for English Language Learners.

(7) Parental involvement.

(a) Parental involvement and participation in limited English Language Learners' educational programming and academic achievement shall be promoted, among other ways, by establishing parent leadership councils at each school, or at the district level, composed in the majority of parents of English Language Learners.

  1. Parent leadership council should be promoted.

  2. Parents shall be provided training and orientation regarding program monitoring procedures and involvement procedures available to parents of English Language Learners.

(b) Parents shall be informed of the opportunity to be represented on existing school and district advisory committees.

(c) Parents shall be notified in writing of the student's initial membership in an assigned program. Notification shall be in language that the parent understands, unless clearly not feasible.

Policy Type
Regulation

Florida Administrative Code 6A-6.0906 Monitoring of Programs for English Language Learners.

(e) The Department of Education shall designate employees to provide technical assistance to those school districts which data suggest that inadequate or inappropriate services are being provided to English Language Learners. Such technical assistance shall include:

  1. Joint determination of practices to be investigated by the local school district,

  2. Involvement of the parents of English Language Learners and school district personnel in determining actions to improve the situation, and

  3. A summary report to the Division of Public Schools. The data for school districts receiving technical assistance as described above shall be reviewed the following year to identify the impact of any changes made.

Policy Type
Regulation

Florida Statutes 1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.

Parents of public school students must receive accurate and timely information regarding their child’s academic progress and must be informed of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12 students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory rights including, but not limited to, the following: (10) Limited English proficient students. — In accordance with the provisions of s. 1003.56, limited English proficient students have the right to receive ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) instruction designed to develop the student’s mastery of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English as rapidly as possible, and the students’ parents have the right of parental involvement in the ESOL program.

Policy Type
Statute

Florida Statutes 1003.56. English language instruction for limited English proficient students.

(3) Each district school board shall implement the following procedures:

(a) Develop and submit a plan for providing English language instruction for limited English proficient students to the Department of Education for review and approval.

(b) Identify limited English proficient students through assessment.

(c) Provide for student exit from and reclassification into the program.

(d) Provide limited English proficient students ESOL instruction in English and ESOL instruction or home language instruction in the basic subject areas of reading, mathematics, science, social studies, and computer literacy.

(e) Maintain a student plan.

(f) Provide qualified teachers.

(g) Provide equal access to other programs for eligible limited English proficient students based on need.

(h) Provide for parental involvement in the program.

Policy Type
Statute