The LAUSD's Continued Assault On Special Education

“We’re treated like problem parents instead of concerned parents.”

– Parent comment to LAUSD School Board

No group represents the frustrations of parents in the LAUSD more than those who have children with Special Education needs. Like any other parent, they just want their kids to reach their maximum potential but the District makes them fight for every service that can help them reach this goal. It is as if the law that guarantees them a Free and Appropriate Public Education does not exist.

As the LAUSD Board prepared to retreat behind closed doors this morning to evaluate Superintendent Carvalho, I delivered the following comments reminding the Board to include his performance in the area of Special Education:

Last month, we discovered that despite what the Charter School Division has been telling communities for years, the LAUSD is not forced by law to give unrostered classrooms to charter schools under PROP-39. Instead, José Cole-Gutiérrez and the Office of General Council chose to force some children into closets and stairwells to receive Special Education services.

While Superintendent Carvalho is not responsible for creating this policy, he has done nothing to end it. During the year he has been in his position, certain Board Members continued to be deceived. In evaluating him today you must determine if this act of insubordination was done with his knowledge or if he is not in control of the bureaucracy he is supposed to manage.

This is not the only example of the neglect of Special Education under Carvalho. Later today, you will vote on the proposed membership of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC). This item was pulled from the agenda on two previous occasions because the by-laws of the Committee were not followed. Even after this delay, the Division of Students, Families, and Community Engagement (SFaCE) did not allow the CAC to seat an Appointment Committee as required. Consequently, the list is not peer-driven as required by the Ed Code.

Because of SFaCE’s incompetence, the CAC has not met during this school year, resulting in a complaint being filed with the California Department of Education. It appears that the Superintendent tried to fix this violation by requesting that you make the appointments today retroactive to July 1, 2023. Unless you are also giving committee members access to a flux capacitor, this move is inherently dishonest as the three months lost cannot be made up.

These problems may have been avoided had an ombudsperson acted as a mediator between the CAC and SFaCE when conflicts arose. During his meeting last year with the CAC, Carvalho indicated he was open to creating this type of position, but now SFaCE is declaring that it will not happen. Is there a disconnect or does Carvalho not have the courage to give accurate answers when meeting face-to-face?

Under the current Superintendent, the District has continued its slide toward treating Special Education services as something that can be delivered under a one-size-fits-all approach. Schools have eliminated special day classes, special education centers have been starved of students, and successful programs like Aut-Core have been removed as a choice during IEP meetings. My proposed “Improving Special Education Within The LAUSD” resolution tries to reverse these injustices. Unfortunately, the bureaucracy seems intent on blocking my proposal.

In an explanation worthy of 1984, I was informed last week by Scott Schmerelson’s office that he will not pursue this proposal because he has been advised that my attempt to preserve options for students will somehow violate the federal mandate that individualized decisions be made based on the unique needs of each student within the IEP team process.

Given the Office of General Counsel’s role in lying about PROP-39 acquisitions of space used for Special Education services, it should not be surprising that they would also lie about my resolution. When will this Board learn this lesson?

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As the fight continues to have the Board adopt the proposed “Improving Special Education Within The LAUSD” resolution, you can show your support by signing this petition. Scott Schmerelson’s office can also be reached directly with the following contact information:

• Phone: (213) 241-8333
• Email: [email protected]

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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.