The CAC Purge

“The CAC Chairperson will ensure that students with exceptional needs remain at the center of planning, conversations, and support as CAC is responsible to students and families”

– LAUSD SELPA

When the leadership of the Community Advisory Committee voted to place a reading of the proposed “Improving Special Education Within the LAUSD” resolution on the agenda of its May meeting, it apparently crossed a line with the LAUSD’s bureaucrats. Claiming that this type of item was not in the purview of the committee, the District forced this item from the official agenda. However, the Chair of the Committee, John Perron, permitted it to be read into the record during public comment.

It now appears that the Office of Student, Family, and Community Engagement (SFaCE) has taken steps to ensure that this will not happen again by not including Perron on the list of members for the next school year. Before this can take effect, the list must be approved by the LAUSD Board of Education. Before their vote at the 1:00 meeting on June 20, 2023, I sent the following email to all of the board members:

On Tuesday, you will vote on approving the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) memberships. I hope that before you register your vote you will take into account the following information:

During the 2022-23 school year, the CAC has taken significant steps forward:

• Creating the CAC African-American Student Subcommittee as a standing subcommittee that will ensure critical issues can be addressed, including the overrepresentation of black students in school disciplinary actions.
• The first Parent Ambassador training was conducted.
• A partnership with the underutilized LAUSD resource, KLCS, resulted in the creation of two PSA videos introducing families to the mission of the CAC and recruiting candidates for the next term.
• The number of people applying to represent the Special Education community on the CAC was increased through outreach efforts.
• Setting a path forward for creating committees representing Special Education at the school site level.

It is hard to imagine that these successes could have occurred without a strong leadership team. Yet somehow the CAC’s Chair, John Perron (JP), does not appear on the list of members for next year that you are being asked to approve. He meets the eligibility requirements and did apply for another term, but the Office of Student, Family, and Community Engagement (SFaCE) did not select him. Ingrid Levy, who was the Chair of the Parent Ambassador Subcommittee and produced both videos, was also purged from the CAC. Additionally, Miho Murai, who was the Training and Education officer during the past year, has only been recommended as an alternate for the next term.

It is the CAC membership that elects the Committee’s officers, so it is fair to say that both JP and Miho enjoy their support. However, current members have little say in the creation of the list that you will vote on at your Board Meeting on Tuesday. A limited number of members were allowed to review applications and give their recommendations, but the final results were never reviewed by the Committee as a whole.

For a Committee governed by the Greene Act, there has been very little transparency as to how these names were selected. The actual process used by SFACE to select next year’s membership was hidden from those on the Committee and the general public. It remains a mystery.

The selection process does not appear to conform to the SELPA which specifies “The CAC shall consist of members who are selected by their peers.” In violation of the procedures recommended by the CAC Bylaws, a “selection committee” was not seated by the membership of the CAC, nor was a rubric established by the Committee outlining the process. At no time was the CAC provided with, or consulted on, the list of proposed members for next year in advance of this item appearing on the Board agenda.

The actions taken to remove members of the leadership team are the latest example of a breakdown in collaboration with the CAC by SFACE. While SFACE is supposed to facilitate and support the mission of the CAC, it is now apparently going out of its way to control Committee operations. This heavy-handed approach reached a new low when less than 24 hours before the May 17, 2023, meeting, officers were called into a meeting to remove an item from the agenda.

It should be noted that the meeting of the officers on May 16th was not compliant with the Greene Act. Not only was an agenda for this meeting not made available, but the public was not given any notice and, therefore, was not able to comment. This meeting was held with so little notice that not every member of the Executive Board who wanted to participate was able to do so.

The existence of the CAC is mandated by the California Education Code and this Committee is essential for having the LAUSD Board of Education understand the needs of families receiving Special Education services. In the interest of preserving a path forward that includes honest recommendations from the CAC, without interference from SFACE, and preserving engagement with the community, I urge you to reject the list of prospective CAC members that has been presented to you and insist that a more transparent process be used which honors the voice of CAC members and fulfills the promise of parent and family engagement, as stated in the LAUSD Strategic Plan.

Sincerely,

Carl Petersen

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Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.