Sacramento – A measure authored by Senator Martha Escutia (D – Norwalk), which lists the rights of parents of English learners in the state’s public schools, was signed yesterday by Governor Gray Davis.
“Too often,” Escutia said, “immigrant parents shy away from becoming involved in their local schools because they do not understand that they have the right participate as a partner in their children’s education.”
Senate Bill 1595 will allow schools and parent groups to more easily understand the rights that reserved for parents of English learners in the state’s Education Code, including:
- The right to receive their child’s score on the statewide test of English Language Development.
- The right to receive any required written notification in their home language.
- The right to participate in school advisory groups.
- The right to support their child’s education by working with them at home on literacy skills.
- The right to be informed about statewide and local academic standards, testing programs, accountability measures, and school improvement efforts.
“We know that one of the strongest indicators of how successful a child will be in school is the level of parental involvement in that child’s education,” Escutia said. “I am pleased that the Governor agrees in the importance of clarifying the various avenues that allow parents of English learners to be informed about and involved in what their child is doing at school.”
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