Teacher-parent communication is frequently cited as one of the key challenges educators have faced in recent years.
It has fallen on administrator and educator shoulders to not only ensure they provide equal access to education for students with disabilities and complete 504 plans in accordance with the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, but also to build trusting and engaging relationships with parents.
Modern 504 management software programs, such as Embrace504®, include numerous features that can help you improve relationships with families within your school and district.
Even if you’re not an Embrace504® customer yet, we are offering a framework on how you can use translations and electronic signatures to improve and digitize collaboration between families and your staff.
Schools that make it a common practice to provide parents with meaningful access to information and procedural safeguards not only stay compliant with Section 504 requirements, but also strengthen teacher-parent relationships in the process.
One of the most commonly shared documents is a copy of a student’s Section 504 Plan.
Sharing access to Section 504 Plans with parents helps to:
But what happens when families don’t speak English fluently?
The latest data from fall 2021 show that English learners made up 10.6% of students in the United States — approximately 5.3 million.
While integrating students into the educational process is crucial, integrating the parents of English learners has become equally as important for multiple districts across the country.
The failure to provide translated documents can lead to long-term communication challenges between parents and the district:
To prevent these issues and bridge the gap between special educators and parents, district administration teams can make key 504 documents available in families’ native languages.
How Embrace504® facilitates 504 success with free translations
Free translation in Embrace504® allows you to translate documents into dozens of languages in a few clicks.
Key 504 documents that can be translated in Embrace504® include:
Popular with many Embrace® districts, free instant translations help districts save money, eliminate the need to rely on external contractors, and speed up communication.
Translation setup is also customizable. As an administrator, you can decide which languages are available for translation.
In addition to translating without leaving the program, you can batch-print translated documents, saving your staff even more time.
Again, batch printing is a feature available to admins, but you can adjust user permissions to give your team access as needed.
Providing families with translated documents is just one part of the equation. The next step is helping them participate in the student’s educational process by signing consents, reviewing plans, and engaging in the meetings.
Many parents face barriers that make this difficult:
Access to electronic signatures can help bridge that gap.
How Embrace504® facilitates teacher-parent communication with Parent Portal
The Embrace® Parent Portal allows districts to provide parents with access to their child's documents in Embrace504®. Parents can:
The Parent Portal is activated at the district level. Invited parents receive an email with access instructions. A translation can also be configured to appear beneath the English text in the invitation, helping multilingual parents access the information easily.
Once in the document, parents can:
Embrace504® automatically records the signature date and stores the signed form in the student’s record, streamlining compliance and documentation for the district.
At its core, the goal of the 504 process is to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to education, and parents play a vital role in making that happen. When families are empowered through translated documents and electronic signatures, it accelerates the support and services your district can provide to the community.
Embrace504®’s translation and e-signature features help make that possible.
If you’re looking to explore all benefits of Embrace504® software at a live demo, book a call with our Sales Representative by filling out the form below!