For child study teams and case managers.

Send the request as soon as the meeting is scheduled. Two business days minimum is workable; a week is comfortable; less than 24 hours is sometimes possible but limits language options.

Include: language, date, time, location (or video link), expected duration, and a short note on the agenda — initial eligibility, annual review, transition planning, behavior plan, etc. If you have a draft IEP or evaluation report to share, the interpreter reads it before they walk in. We handle PII under FERPA-aligned terms.

• Speak in short, complete thoughts. The interpreter renders consecutively — they wait for a natural pause, then translate.
• Address the parent, not the interpreter. "Mrs. Garcia, your son has been making progress in fluency" — not "Tell her her son has been..."
• If you use an acronym (BIP, FBA, FAPE, OT), expand it once. Acronyms don't translate.
• When asking for consent on a form, give the interpreter a minute to perform sight translation before the parent signs.

The interpreter is not a witness for the district, not an advocate for the parent, and not a member of the IEP team. They render language faithfully. They don't paraphrase to spare feelings, abridge for time, or coach either side on what to say. If a CST member asks for any of that, gently redirect.