Alberto Nieves is a New Haven father who has two daughters in the school system. He and many others who speak Spanish are having a hard time keeping up with their children's education.
"Sometimes he needs to call his relatives in Florida to help with homework because he doesn't understand," said Nancy Carranza, a parent with Teach Our Children who was translating for Nieves.
That's why parents say the School Superintendent Dr. Reginald Mayo promised to have translators at every mandatory parent orientation. But at the first orientation there were no translators to be found at ten of the schools. Since 26 percent of New Haven's students come from Spanish-speaking households, the parent group Teach Our Children is concerned those parents won't be able to understand what the school expects from them and their children.
"When they go to the orientation, they expect a translator. They expect to understand. They want to know how can they help their children," said Carranza.
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Parents showed their frustration by rallying outside of the Board of Education Tuesday. They wore tape over their mouths to signify how they can't communicate with school leaders. They also held signs up that demanding equality.
"Teach Our Children made an effort, went to Dr. Mayo, brought the issue up to him, and he basically fell through on his promise, so we have to take it to this extreme," said Jewu Richardson, a New Haven parent.
The group left the rally, only to go up to the Board of Ed meeting upstairs. They took turns telling their stories to the school board members, who say they want to collaborate with the parents. Teach Our Children will be meeting with Dr. Mayo on Monday.
