Position Summary:
Under the direction of the Director, the Language Access Coordinator serves all schools and offices in Prince George's County Public Schools by supporting the coordination and implementation of district-wide language access services to ensure meaningful communication with multilingual families. An employee in this position serves as a lead worker, giving guidance and assistance to others. The incumbent of this position serves under the general supervision of the Director, who will define the guidelines for assignments. The Language Access Coordinator will have extensive contact with administrators, teachers, parents/guardians, interpreting services staff, translation services staff, and supporting vendor agencies. This position plays a key role in advancing equitable access to educational information, resources and services through the effective delivery of language access services aligned with local, state and federal compliance requirements.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Supports the implementation and continuous improvement of the district’s language access policies to ensure equitable and consistent access to information for families who speak languages other than English;
- Executes multilingual family engagement and supports the planning of systemic multilingual learner family engagement initiatives to positively impact student achievement;
- Monitors compliance with Maryland House Bill 44 (HB 44), including translation of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs), and associated special education documentation within state-mandated timelines
- Oversees and tracks special education translation project request flows to ensure accuracy, timeliness and alignment with district protocols and legal requirements;
- Provides professional learning and technical assistance to schools and departments regarding best practices in language access and the use of interpreting/translation resources;
- Develops and maintains internal resources to support continuous improvement in language access services, including but not limited to glossaries, effective practice videos, district guides and translation document libraries;
- Supports occasional evening or weekend engagement events as needed;
- Contributes to strategic planning for the Language Access Office;
- Generates appropriate reports upon request;
- Assists with parent/guardian needs and provides interpretation services in high profile emergency circumstances, as needed; and
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Knowledge of federal and state regulations related to language access and special education, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Maryland HB 44;
- Bilingual in English and Spanish in all four communicative areas;
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all staff, students, families and the public;
- Ability to establish rapport with families and employees from diverse cultures and backgrounds;
- Technology literacy to include the use of virtual platforms, an online interpreter scheduling platform, Microsoft applications, Google applications and Oracle;
- Ability to problem-solve;
- Strong and effective oral and written communication skills;
- Excellent interpersonal skills;
- Organized and detail-oriented, especially in coordinating schedules and handling invoices;
- Ability to manage multiple tasks; and
- Customer-service oriented.
Education and/or Experience Requirements:
Associate’s degree from an accredited college or university required, or 60 college credits of applicable education, training, and experience which provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform effectively in the position may be considered; Bachelor’s degree preferred. Prior documented training and ongoing professional development in written translation and/or educational interpreting. A minimum of three (3) years of experience in language access services, program coordination, or education in a diverse and multilingual setting.
Certification:
None required.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
No direct supervisory responsibilities.
Physical Demands:
The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, talk, hear, walk, sit, and use fingers, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision such as to read handwritten or typed material, the ability to adjust focus, and depth perception. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally push or lift up to 25 lbs.
Working Environment:
The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job.
Additional Information:
None.
