The Chanda Smith consent decree should have helped every LAUSD student with special education needs. Instead, it harmed the most vulnerable.
State of Denial: How Do Charter Schools Meet the Needs of Students in Special Education
The Los Angeles School Board is presented with a report detailing the discrepancies in enrollment between charter and public schools.
Charter Schools Vs. Public School Students
Transparency is key.” – CCSA Email marked “Confidential” The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is not always a welcoming place for a person who needs accommodations. According to a report released on October 25, 2017, a child with a physical disability would be unable to enter through the main entrance of one-fifth of the […]
Mishandling Data to Create Failing Schools
How can schools designed to serve children with specific needs be judged by the same criteria as those serving the general population?
The Winners and Losers of the LAUSD Strike
In a School District currently defined by the fight between public education and privatization, both sides put everything on the line. Was it worth it?
Can the LAUSD Ensure Student Safety During a Strike?
The District is encouraging parents to send their students to school if the teachers’ union strikes. Will they be sending kids into mayhem?
As Strike Looms, LAUSD Special Education Practices Come Into Focus
With District leaders openly hostile towards the needs of students in special education classes, can the union extract essential changes?
Second Largest School District Faces Teachers Strike
There is currently an effort to call for a strike that pits adults versus adults when students and their families will bear the brunt of a strike action.“ – LAUSD School Board Having gladly accepted the title of “a gadfly at the school board meetings”, I have a natural tendency to be suspicious of the […]
How Have Charter Schools Affected Students with Special Education Needs
On February 20, 2018, the LAUSD School Board agendized the proposed Holding GHCHS Accountable to Their Charter as part of their Committee of the Whole meeting. The following is the written statement that I provided to the Board: Honorable LAUSD Board Members: This is Chanda Smith. She was an LAUSD student with special education needs […]
LAUSD Board Set to Consider “Holding GHCHS Accountable to Their Charter” Resolution
It’s hard to light a candle, easy to curse the dark instead” – Nightwish In order to prevent charter schools from discouraging parents from enrolling children with special education needs, the Office of the Independent Monitor required that the District prohibit them from asking for any special education paperwork prior to enrollment. As originally pointed […]