Martinez Unified staff outline plan to increase inclusion at Alhambra High amid parent concerns

Martinez Unified staff presented an overview Monday night of federal and state special education requirements and outlined short‑ and long‑term steps to increase inclusion for students with individualized education programs at Alhambra High School.

The district presentation, led by Matthew Jensen and Keisha Emendorfer, focused on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act — or IDEA — and the “least restrictive environment” principle that the California Department of Education uses to measure how much time students with disabilities spend in general education classrooms. Jensen said the district is below the CDE target for students educated 80 percent or more of the school day in general education and described plans to add co‑taught sections in algebra and to increase paraeducator support so more students can access grade‑level curriculum.

The plan matters because CDE calculates a district’s LRE performance by the share of pupils with IEPs spending most of their school day in general education; Martinez Unified was reported at roughly 51 percent in categories the presenters showed, below the state target. Jensen told the board the district will pursue short‑term steps (scheduling changes, professional development for co‑teaching) and longer‑term work guided by CDE “high‑leverage practices.” He said progress will be tracked with student performance and IEP goals.

Parents, students and union leaders urged the board to proceed carefully. Dozens of public commenters said some students rely on special day‑class (SDC) instruction and smaller learning‑center settings to succeed academically and emotionally. “This blanket statement of putting all kids in SDC classes into gen ed…is not an LRE,” parent Megan Benedando said. Student Alexis Rainey said moving some students into general education could worsen anxiety and bullying for pupils who need separate supports.

District administrators acknowledged those concerns and described monitoring and supports they plan to use. Jensen said the district is scheduling targeted professional development in March for co‑teaching strategies and for general education teachers in science and history to support students with IEPs. He also said case managers and paraeducators will be expected to coordinate more closely with general education teachers and that the district is constantly reviewing individual IEPs to prevent academic declines before they result in failing grades.

Board members pressed staff on whether the changes were state‑mandated; Jensen and staff said the CDE issues targets and guidance and can require intensive support if a district fails to improve, but the shift toward inclusive models is a state recommendation and an effort to prevent later intervention from the state. Multiple board members asked staff to return with updated monitoring data after the changes are implemented.

The district took no formal vote on program changes at the meeting. Staff said they would continue outreach — including additional parent nights — and return to the board with implementation updates and data on how individual students are performing under any new placements.

For parents who said they were not informed, staff reiterated that IEP teams make individual placement decisions and that any school‑wide scheduling changes would be implemented with IEP meetings and case manager involvement. The board directed staff to continue communication with parents and to report back on early implementation indicators in the coming months.