KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Kelseyville Unified is the first Lake County school district to simulcast all school board meetings in Spanish, vastly improving accessibility for Spanish-speaking community members.
“In a community like ours where 40 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic, providing real-time Spanish translation of our board meeting proceedings allows us to reach more KVUSD families and more Kelseyville residents. Our goal is to make it easier for everyone’s voice to be heard,” said District Superintendent Dave McQueen.
For safety during the pandemic, school board meetings are currently held via Zoom video conferencing, using the Zoom function that allows meeting attendees to select which channel they wish to use: either the English-language channel or the Spanish-language channel where Kelseyville Unified School District translator Adriana Macias provides real-time translations.
When meetings return to an in-person format, meetings will be held in the Tom Aiken Student Center at Kelseyville High School at 5480 Main St. in Kelseyville. They will also be broadcast via a video conferencing option.
At that time, the district will offer headsets that allow on-site Spanish-speaking attendees to hear Macias’s translations in real-time, and the video broadcast will continue in both languages.
Kelseyville Unified anticipates resuming in-person school board meetings when Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Pace says it is advisable to meet in person based on the reduced spread and prevalence of COVID-19.