WASHINGTON – Nashua school authorities have “cooperated at every stage” of the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent investigation into the district’s handling of instruction and programs for its so-called English learners, and are now prepared to “improve their practices” going forward, the DOJ said Monday.

The DOJ launched its investigation based upon allegations the district was falling short of its responsibilities “to provide English learner students with the instruction and support they need to learn English and participate fully in school,” according to a DOJ statement issued Monday afternoon.

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire conducted the investigation, which was based on provisions of the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, officials said.

The settlement, according to the DOJ, resolves the department’s investigation, which “found widespread failures” in the district’s programs for English learners.

Pamela S. Karlan, the principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said it’s important that school districts are aware that federal law requires them to “step up and give English learners the language services and supports they are entitled to.”

The agreement, Karlan said, stands as “a reminder that teachers cannot deliver those supports and services without (receiving) training and resources from their district.”

Karlan said her office and the DOJ “commend the Nashua School District for opening the doors (of opportunity) to its English learners by entering into this agreement.”

Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire John J. Farley said authorities’ commitment “to protecting the civil rights of all students, including English language learners … makes our communities better.

“This agreement will help ensure that Nashua schools are places where all students have a chance to learn and grow and all parents have an opportunity to follow their children’s progress,” Farley added.

He echoed Karlan’s praise of the district for “cooperating at every stage of the investigation,” and for its commitment “to improving its practices through this comprehensive agreement.”

Some of the initiatives the district plans to undertake as part of the agreement:

* Identify English learners, and enroll them in appropriate classes

* Provide English as a second language instruction to all English learner students, including students with disabilities, and ensure the district has enough teachers certified to teach English as a second language

* Train teachers of academic core subjects like math, science and social studies on how to help English learner students understand the content in their grade-level courses

* Train school principals on how to evaluate teachers of English learner students and support effective teaching strategies

* Communicate essential school-related information in a language that Limited English Proficient parents can understand so their children can access all school programs

* Monitor students’ progress and evaluate the effectiveness of its English learner programs over time.

The Justice Department will monitor the district’s implementation of the settlement for three full school years, Farley said.

For more information about the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and its Educational Opportunities Section, go to www.justice.gov/crt.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.