PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County School District leaders are launching a new program to help Spanish-speaking families get ahead.
ABC Action News recently highlighted a program at select Pinellas County high schools where students are helping to mentor their peers who are learning English as a second language.
Now, the district is launching a virtual series for parents called Hablemos de las Escuelas del Distrito Escolar Pinellas (Let’s Talk about Pinellas County Schools).
The sessions will take place every second Wednesday, starting on September 14 and ending on December 14.
It comes as Pinellas County sees a large spike in its Latino population. 19% of students now identify as Hispanic in Pinellas County Schools, according to district leaders.
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Ericka Reckenwald, the district’s ESOL Family Outreach Coordinator, said the programs would help parents and guardians better understand how to help their students succeed.
“Our families, when they are reaching out to us, they don’t know where to start. We are here to support them, to hold their hand and little by little help them to navigate our Pinellas County School System and our resources,” she explained.
Topics to be covered in the new virtual series include meeting high school graduation requirements, using online software like the district’s Clever program, meeting academic expectations, duel enrollment, district application programs and applying for scholarships.
Pinellas County Schools also has a Facebook page in Spanish for families to stay updated.
Parents can find more information here and the same information in Spanish here.
