Baldwin-Whitehall uses app to communicate more efficiently with Nepali speakers

Families who speak Nepali as their primary language in the Baldwin-Whitehall school district now have a better way to communicate with teachers — and vice versa — thanks to a mobile app.

The district launched “Talking Points” as a pilot program designed for the 654 families who speak Nepali.

Essentially, the app allows teachers to send messages out via the platform in English. When it reaches a person who speaks Nepali, the message will be translated into the language. When the Nepali speaker responds, the message will appear in English on the teachers’ end.

Lindsay Senge, an English as a Second Language teacher for kindergarten and first grades at McAnnulty Elementary School, said the app has worked really well for sending out reminders to families and for check-ins for her 42 students.

“I’ve had messages sent out like, ‘I hope you’re OK,’ or I’ve used it a couple of times this year for reminders on different things going on. It’s definitely easier to use for generalized reminders,” Senge said.

Since its launch before the holidays, the program has been successful, according to Marissa Gallagher, the district’s director of student services.

“The goal was to just continue to increase our sense of community and to be inclusive across the board, no matter what,” Gallagher said. One of the ways to do that, she said, was to enhance the way the district communicates with families who don’t speak English fluently.

The majority of Senge’s students speak Nepali. She also teaches students who speak Vietnamese, Dari, Arabic and Turkish.

Gallagher said there are around 35 languages spoken in the school district.

Because of the high population of non-English speakers in Baldwin-Whitehall, the district is considering expanding the program for other languages. If that happens, Senge hopes the app could read out the messages in the recipient’s language or maybe even play a video of someone speaking out the message in their native tongue.

For now, the district utilizes translators and interpreters through several organizations. Sometimes the interactions are done in-person, but these days the interaction is done mostly over the phone or via emails and video messages, Gallagher said.

The district transitioned to a four-day, in-person learning model starting in late January and early February.

The app has been used in surrounding school districts, including in Pittsburgh Public Schools. Its website touts being used in over 50,000 schools.