I can count the number of times my dad came to one of my school events on one hand. The most memorable was my high school graduation. Until I saw him sitting in the stands, I hadn’t been sure he’d come.

Was it because he didn’t care about my education? He kept a close eye on my grades and always repeated, “You can do anything. You just have to want it.” Was it because his work schedule didn’t allow it? He was self-employed and so had a flexible schedule.

Like many parents of the students in our classrooms, he did not speak English. My dad never felt comfortable in the school environment, because he never became a proficient English speaker. The moment he left Ukraine and stepped foot on U.S. soil he went from being respected and competent to ignorant.

At this point you may gasp and think of Washington Administrative Code 392-160-010. Just kidding. I don’t expect you to remember the exact code, but you should know that under Title VI and the Equal Educational Opportunity Act schools must provide language assistance to non-native English speaking families effectively with either appropriate, competent staff or outside resources.

So if school must provide language assistance, why hadn’t my dad felt comfortable in the school environment? Because interpreters were rarely, if ever provided. Imagine sitting at an assembly with little to no idea of what’s being said, taking behavioral cues from the people around you. Would you feel comfortable?

OK. Realistically speaking, it’s impossible to represent every language at a school assembly. What about parent teacher conferences or open houses?

I interpreted.

My mom took English classes at the community college, so she felt more comfortable attending my school events but was not English proficient. I filtered the communication between my family and school. How easy would it have been for me to tweak what my teachers said in my favor? Body language and facial expressions between teacher and parent go only so far, if the student translating is clever. Our students are clever. Children are not the most reliable interpreters.

At present I sit on the other side of the parent-teacher conference table. I’m the teacher communicating through child interpreters with parents. Many years passed but my district’s interpreter shortage remains unchanged.

My school’s highest language population is Spanish followed by Marshallese and then a combination of Russian and Ukrainian, which are not the same language but most Ukrainians understand Russian. The biggest blessing of my school is bilingual staff. We employ two Spanish speaking paraeducators and, starting this year, three Russian and Ukrainian speaking teachers. I speak Ukrainian and Russian. Our non-native English speaking population is so large that even our bilingual staff combined with district interpreters are not enough during conferences.

Some teachers use phone interpreter services, which can be awkward to use and must be scheduled in advance. The reality of conferences is that nothing follows according to plan. Some run long and parents show up late, so phone services are tricky to manage. Other teachers, if no students or older siblings are available, use Google translate, which does not support Marshallese.

Our Marshallese students face the biggest disadvantage: no Marshallese staff, one district translator, and no access to technology that supports the language. Is it any wonder that these families have the highest no-show rates for conferences?

When a Ukrainian or Russian non-English proficient family first comes to my school, the office calls me to help parents fill out their paperwork. I support them during school events and answer questions. The office, administration, and I work together to translate information into Ukrainian and Russian. We even co-created bilingual absence and tardy excuse templates. Our Spanish speaking families receive the same support.

Last month, I spoke to a non-English proficient mother after her children transferred to another school. She said the new school lacked the warm welcome and support to which they were accustomed. Reading between the lines, the school lacked language support.

What prevents schools from offering effective support? The same reason my school’s Marshallese population lacks support: resources and money. Bilingual staff is hard to find, especially if the language is uncommon. School employees do not get compensated for interpreter services, which are outside of their job description. Some schools force their bilingual staff to interpret at unreasonable hours. This not only causes resentment toward administration but also sometimes result in union involvement. My time as an interpreter also shows that my district doesn’t always screen interpreters through interviews but hires whomever is available due to scarcity.

It’s easier to write legislation than actualize it. Teacher advocacy is paramount when considering the needs of non-native English speaking families. Starting with the staff lounge, challenge assumptions that certain parents not attending an event means those fathers, mothers, and guardians don’t care. It may be our school systems lack of language services.