SILENCING PARENTS
Parent Engagement Is Still Not On The Calendar
The public continues to demand the reinstatement of the Parent Engagement and Special Education committees. No meetings have been scheduled.
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The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) advises the LAUSD Board of Education to advocate for effective Special Education programs and services. Its members are appointed by the board and include parents, students, teachers, and other champions for students with disabilities. The committee operates under the belief “that effective partnerships between families, community members and schools can help children with exceptional needs to achieve their highest potential.”
At the February meeting of the CAC, a motion was considered stating that “the ongoing pandemic has caused unprecedented disruptions to our children’s education” and that “the effects have been especially brutal for children with special education needs.” Noting that “stakeholder input is crucial as the district maneuvers through the continued physical closure of our schools and plans are made for the eventual return to school sites,” a request was made for the CAC Chairperson to “send a letter to the BOE requesting that LAUSD School Board reinstate the Special Education Committee.” It was the CAC’s hope that resuming meetings of this committee would “allow families of students with disabilities to have a place to come and provide a strong voice for our students.”
This motion was passed by the CAC with a vote of 18–0–1. The one vote to abstain was by Lisa Mosko, who is the committee’s chairperson. She is also a director at Speak Up, a pro-charter school group founded to support board member Nick Melvoin’s candidacy and funded in part by the Walton Family Foundation. This is the same group that used bigotry to block the…
