Parent urges board to address special-education breakdowns; trustee pledges follow-up

At the public forum, parent Elizabeth Trinidad delivered an extended and emotional account of problems she says her son has faced in his special-education placement at Lincoln Elementary. Trinidad said the classroom has been without a consistent teacher for nearly six weeks, that her son’s IEP is not being followed and that she has observed poor supervision and hygiene when her son returned from school.

"My son's class has been without a teacher for almost a month and a half," Trinidad said. "He has an IEP that's not being followed whatsoever."

She described multiple contacts with the school, multiple meetings and inconsistent communication; she said staff sometimes required appointments for matters she viewed as urgent and questioned how some IEPs were prepared, asserting that people who were not licensed had been allowed to write IEPs. She also described instances where her son returned home soiled and inadequately clothed and said that school staff had sometimes failed to complete required evaluation input because a teacher was on medical leave.

Madam President Gibson King and Trustee Taylor told Trinidad they would speak with her after the meeting. Trustee Taylor said, "I know that madam president will be speaking with you after the meeting to address your concerns." The superintendent acknowledged the concern and told the board she would address the matter.

The public comment prompted discussion later in the meeting about the personnel report and about the district’s Title grants and funding. Trustee Gomez said concerns about funding influenced a 'no' vote on the personnel report; the board debated whether hires listed in the personnel report were paid from Title funds or other district funds. The meeting transcript records administrative assurances that the matters would be addressed but does not include the follow-up report.