Historically:

In the 1974 Lau versus Nichols case, the Supreme Court ruled that public schools have an obligation to provide specialized instruction to students whose limited English proficiency prevents them from full participation in the classroom.

Currently:
The FNSBSD English Language Learner Program supports schools in delivering equal educational opportunities for students who speak a language or languages other than English, who speak another language in addition to English, or who have a language other than English spoken in their home and are academically achieving below grade level. The program focuses on helping students gain social communication skills and academic language proficiency in English, while developing multi-cultural awareness.

The FNSBSD ELL Program is funded through the school district’s regular budget and additional grants from the state and federal governments. The program includes English Language Learner (ELL) Teacher/Facilitators, ELL Tutor/Instructors, Language Interpreters,  the ELL Program Coordinator, and Program Secretary.

The FNSBSD serves students from over 40 language backgrounds.

Without appropriate support, an ELL student is unlikely to achieve competency in academic English. The ELL Teacher/Facilitators provide one-on-one collaboration with classroom teachers.