Don't Let Language Be a Barrier

Today we discuss how to engage rather than alienate your Spanish speaking community.

By SchoolCEO Last Updated: July 22, 2025

Show Notes: 

This episode features excerpts from a 2022 SchoolCEO Magazine article, On the Air with LOBO Live by Melissa Hite. 

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Episode Transcript:

In the past month, I have watched countless videos of ICE raids on public spaces around the city I used to call home—Los Angeles. I’ve watched agents swarm the parking lot of a store in East Hollywood where I used to shop, just half a mile from my old apartment—and at a park I used to pass on my way to work. It all feels so surreal. The thing I find most disheartening about these videos is the violence and randomness of these encounters. The latino day laborers outside of Home Depot were not hurting anyone. The latino families at MacArthur Park were minding their own business—playing and barbecuing and fishing. So how are they supposed to feel safe in your schools?

Welcome to the SchoolCEO Podcast. I’m your host, Eileen Beard. 

No matter your politics, you can imagine how much fear these raids are causing the immigrant community. And how much dismay and distrust it might cause Spanish speaking U.S. citizens —because the fact is that the vast majority of people being detained are from Spanish speaking countries. Now more than ever it’s important to engage your Spanish speaking communities to make them feel like they belong. That starts with speaking their language.

When Francisco Rojas, the Public Information Officer for Longview ISD in Texas, first joined the district, they weren’t providing much of their communication in Spanish—despite the fact that Longview’s mascot is the Lobo—the Spanish word for “wolf”—or more importantly that 40% of Longview’s 8,200 students are Hispanic, many of whom do not speak English at home. 

For Rojas, this issue was about more than just keeping families in the loop; it was about winning their trust. “There’s an issue of distrust within the Spanish-speaking population,” Rojas told us. In Rojas’ words, “Oftentimes the governments in their home countries have gotten involved in corruption instead of pouring resources into their communities. And now that they’re in the U.S., they sense that a lot of people don’t want them here.” 

To build the Spanish speaking community’s confidence in the district, they had to begin by de-centering English. After all, the U.S. doesn’t have one official language, so why should Longview ISD? The next thing they had to decide was the platform they would use to reach them. 

According to Rojas, a lot of Spanish speakers didn’t have Internet access or TVs growing up in their home countries, but they did have radio. Research backs it up: According to Nielsen, 97% of Hispanic people in the U.S. listen to their radios at least weekly, and listeners who speak predominantly Spanish tune in more than any other group. So why not reach Longview’s Spanish speakers through the airwaves?

So Rojas pitched the idea for a district radio show to Radio Vida, a nonprofit Spanish-language station in Longview. He told them that the district has close to 4,000 Hispanic families. So if the station gave them the opportunity to host a show, they could pull new families into the station’s audience. Everyone stood to benefit. 

To maximize impact, Longview also wanted to broadcast the show live on the district’s Facebook page. “If you want to reach the Spanish-speaking population using social media, Facebook is the go-to place,” he explains. National data backs up that idea, too. According to Pew Research, 72% of Hispanic people in the U.S. say they use Facebook, compared to 50% who use Instagram and 23% who use Twitter.

But Rojas didn’t want to just share district news on the show—although that was important, too. He wanted to come up with content that would appeal to his audience. Because he says Hispanics are very family-oriented, Rojas decided to spend the first 30 minutes of his radio hour discussing parenting and family issues, from helping kids with their schoolwork to improving nutrition.

“LOBO Live” as the show is called, also spotlights community organizations and other resources for anyone who might need them. Every two weeks, the show features representatives from local nonprofits, who talk about their services and programs. 

But perhaps the most important thing Rojas and Longview did to be more inclusive of its Spanish-speakig families was to make communication two-way. It wasn’t enough just to broadcast info, they wanted families to be able to respond. Before that, Spanish-speaking families at the district might have called with a question or comment but the person on the other line only spoke English. Longview’s Spanish communications always include Rojas’ contact information for families who might want to get in touch. The access, information, education and community resources that Longview ISD now provides its Spanish speaking community has helped build trust amongst a large group of people who previously felt left out. 

If you want to build trust and belonging in your Spanish speaking community, consider taking the following steps:

  1. The first one is simple. De-center English in your communications. Start providing information in other languages if you have families who don’t speak English at home. You don’t have to start with a radio show, but provide translations for your website, your newsletter and on social media.
  2. Second, make non-English communication two-way. All of Longview’s Spanish-language materials also include Rojas’ contact info so they can call or write with questions. If you don’t have someone on staff who can fulfill this role, try asking a bilingual parent if you can share their contact info to serve as that liaison between you and your families. By the way, it’s a great tactic for attracting new Spanish-speaking families to your schools as well. 
  3. Finally, consider your audience’s unique habits. Rojas started a radio show because according to Nielsen, 97% of Hispanic people in the U.S. listen to their radios at least weekly. Longview streams the show on Facebook because 72% of Hispanic people in the U.S. reported using Facebook. Last, he begins every show with a focus on parenting to appeal to a family-oriented audience. If you don’t know what platforms your Spanish-speaking families are using, ask them. Survey them—in Spanish. 

Of course, Spanish speakers are not the only ones who may feel fear or distrust or alienation. They are not the only ESL community whose friends, family or peers may currently be in danger of deportation. But the point is not to let any language be a barrier to connecting with your community members—all of them. 

If you are looking for resources for yourself or immigrant families in your community, The ACLU, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and The American Federation of Teachers are all excellent sources for materials and guidance.

Thanks for joining me.