On August 14, 1990, a Settlement Agreement was signed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division, “embodying actions and policies to be undertaken regarding Plaintiff (LULAC, et al.) children’s rights to equal educational opportunities.”  This document has become known throughout the state of Florida as the META Consent Decree: Multicultural Education and Training Advocacy. The Consent Decree does not grant English Language Learner students (ELLs) formerly language enriched pupils (LEP) any new rights; it simply provides a structure for compliance with constitutional imperatives. 

The Consent Decree (as written in Florida Statute 233.058 and in 6A-6.0900 to 6A-6.909  F.A.C.) guarantees that “all students will have equal access to comprehensible instruction by appropriately certificated personnel with such instruction validated by defensible assessment practices.” Each school district in the state of Florida is required to hold an approved ELL plan formerly LEP plan that ensures the protection of the long-established constitutional rights of ELL students.  The ESOL Contact Educator in each school has a copy of the District’s approved plan. (For additional information, regarding Lee County’s approved ELL plan, contact the Department of Intervention Programs.

For additional information on META Consent Decree please visit the DOE web site at http://www.fldoe.org/aala/cdpage2.asp.

.