Section 226.500  Language of Notifications

a)         The notices to individual parents required in this Subpart F shall conform to the requirements of 34 CFR 300.503(c).

b)         Written translation of the Vital Documents List into the ten most commonly spoken languages in Illinois, other than English, must be provided to Limited English Proficiency parents of children with disabilities. This requirement includes translation of the individualized substance of documents on the Vital Documents List. A translated Parent/Guardian Notification of Conference Recommendations form and all other applicable elements of the IEP forms must be provided simultaneously with English IEP documents and all reasonable efforts to provide the IEP within seven school days after the IEP meeting must be made, or as soon as possible thereafter. All other vital IEP documents must be translated and provided to parents as soon as practicable but not more than 30 school days after the IEP meeting.

c)         Parents may request translation of documents not on the Vital Documents List that have a vital relation to the child’s educational planning through the same process identified on the Notification of Conference form, and school districts must make reasonable efforts to provide the requested translations in a timely manner.

d)         All translations must be performed by competent translators who have undergone sufficient professional training regarding special education terminology and processes, or by outside vendors that are commercially recognized as providing competent translation services; or, if a school district elects to utilize an automated translation program or application, the results must be reviewed and edited, as needed, by an individual qualified to determine the accuracy of the translation. All translations must be certified to be true and accurate by the translator to the best of the translator’s knowledge or ability.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 2244, effective February 6, 2023)