Frustrations over mistranslated flyers at Lee County School District

Reporter: Rodaris Richardson
Published: Updated:
Lee County

Concerns rise over a flyer posted specifically for Hispanic parents to increase awareness about Lee County School District town halls.

The problem is the flyer was mistranslated, and parents say it’s not the first time. 

More than 40% of Lee County public school students are Hispanic, and to better serve its biggest minority group, the district shares some flyers in Spanish.

Parent Anne Sigal said the message got lost in translation.

“My husband’s from Cuba, and they say different words in Cuban than they do with Puerto Ricans, and it can be a naughty word, and they should have really made sure it was correct before they put it out to the students,” Sigal said.

The flyer was supposed to be a direct translation of an invitation to a “neighborhood dialogue.”

Though, parents said they used the wrong word for “neighborhood.”

“Barrio” to some Hispanics refers to an impoverished area. Therefore, it read something similar to “impoverished area dialogue,” along with the wrong location and date.

WINK News brought this concern to Lee County Schools, and they said in a statement, “We removed it as quickly as we could once aware.”

Parents said it is better but still not quite right.

Parents emphasized the need for Lee County Schools to hire more underrepresented groups who can do the job, bridging the gap in Lee County’s fastest-growing community.

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