Language Access in the School District of Philadelphia

Update

Court Makes Finding of Non-Compliance and Stipulations

In 1991 the Plaintiffs filed a Motion for a Finding of Noncompliance which the court later partially granted. For the next two years, a magistrate judge held regular meetings with the District and plaintiffs to supervise compliance. In 1993 those meetings resulted in addition of a Stipulation to the original plan, which established broad standards for the district in areas such as increased language instruction and additional hiring of bilingual personnel. This Stipulation also created the standard that parents receive notice of all school-related matters in their native language.

When the District failed to comply with annual reporting requirements in subsequent years, the Plaintiffs filed a Motion for Enforcement that granted continued judicial supervision.