“Moreover, ‘lower achieving students’ is not a protected class.” -Brian Bauer, GHCHS This week, Granada Hills Charter High School (GHCHS) will attempt to win its sixth national Academic Decathlon championship in seven years. If this were a high school sports team instead of an academic one, the improbability of this accomplishment would probably be more […]
The LAUSD’s Hostility Towards Special Education
On November 16, 2016, the Office of the Independent Monitor held its semi-annual public hearings about the services provided by the LAUSD to students with special education needs. The following is a copy of my testimony before Dr. Rostetter: When I saw your reaction to Adam’s speech, it gave me something that I haven’t had […]
El Camino Digs In
Scientific method: “a method of research in which a problem is identified, relevant data are gathered, a hypothesis is formulated from these data, and the hypothesis is empirically tested.” –Dictionary.com Education “reformers” claim that charters were created “as testing grounds for new and alternative educational models”. However, if these publicly funded private schools were actually […]
Education for Sale: The Broad Way Towards Bankruptcy
This is the first section of my paper: Education for Sale: LAUSD Throws the Fight in Its Competition with Charters. Despite the fact that the Los Angeles Times receives funding for their education coverage from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, their reporters were still able to publish a leaked copy of the foundation’s […]
Monica Garcia Votes to Continue Court Fight with Parents of Children with Special Needs
Last month, the 9th Circuit overruled a lower court and stated that parents did have the right to intervene on behalf of their children as they fight to keep special education centers as a choice available to them during the IEP process. While the LAUSD’s lawyers had reportedly already filed the paperwork, the Governing Board […]
The LAUSD Empire Strikes Back
“The district court further erred when it found intervention unnecessary to protect appellant’s’ interest in ensuring the receipt of public education consistent with their disabilities and federal law.” – Judge Carlos T. Bea The LAUSD claims that “special education centers are unnecessary because the District can ‘provide all supports and services…at a general education site”, […]
Education Should be Based on our Children’s Needs
On May 11, 2016, the Office of the Independent Monitor held public hearings and “parents of children with IEPs [Individual Education Plan] and all other members of the LAUSD community [were] invited to provide comments to Dr. David Rostetter”. The following is a copy of my testimony before Dr. Rostetter’s office: Two of my triplets […]
Do Not Try to Placate Us with Words, We Need Action
On April 12, 2016, the LAUSD School Board considered a motion to recognize Autism Awareness Month. I used the opportunity for public comment to outline the ways that they can move beyond words to actually improve the educational opportunities for those with autism and other special education needs. The following is a transcript of my […]
Monica Garcia’s Attack on Special Education
When we say $1.4 billion for special ed and we only have $700 million from the federal government and the other $700 million are coming from every child in this district, I’m not about defunding special ed. I just know that we have a serious issue to how can we serve our own kids?” -Monica […]
Saving Money by Shortchanging a Special Education
“For 13 years [we have] known what we should do for Special Education and we have ignored it as a district.” -Ramon C. Cortines, LAUSD Superintendent It cannot be denied that Special Education costs a lot of money. In fact, the Independent Financial Review Panel says that it “is one of the fastest growing parts […]