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Improving Special Education Within the LAUSD

A proposed resolution is being circulated to the LAUSD Board that would refocus the district’s SpEd policies to make them student-centered.

“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

Helping students who have disabilities meet their full potential requires that the Special Education services they receive be customized so that their unique needs are met. A one size fits all approach will not work.

To properly develop an individualized plan, the IEP team, which includes parents, students, teachers, specialists, and school-based administrators, must be fully empowered to make decisions at the school site. Unfortunately, these local teams are often prevented from crafting appropriate plans for students due to the rigid rules set by LAUSD bureaucrats. As a result, needed programs are not made available, students are forcibly mainstreamed when it is not appropriate, and the district misses opportunities for meaningful inclusion with general education students. These pervasive failures have resulted in deep frustrations within the Special Education Community.

If “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members,” then history…