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Community Advisory Committee urges stronger reading intervention, inclusion and staffing stability for special education
Summary
The CAC told the board the district over-identifies students of color for special education, urged expanded reading interventions, restorative inclusion practices at IEP meetings and added paraeducator/case‑manager capacity to reduce teacher turnover.
The San Francisco Unified School District’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education presented its 2018–19 priorities to the board on Sept. 25, calling for expanded reading interventions, comprehensive social-emotional supports, and staffing stability to support students with disabilities.
CAC chair Alita Fisher said the district has about 8,000 students receiving special education services (roughly 12 percent of enrollment) and highlighted patterns showing higher proportions of African American and Latinx students in special education compared with their overall district populations. Fisher and other CAC members called for a districtwide focus on early reading intervention, including partnerships with the San Francisco Public Library’s FOG reading/tutoring program, and expanded training for teachers and paraeducators.
CAC also asked the district to consider “restorative inclusion” practices for IEP meetings to prioritize relationship repair and to treat IEP meetings as celebrations of student progress rather than deficit-driven encounters. The committee recommended exploring case-manager positions to support special-day class teachers, and better use of the district’s Special Education information system (SACE) to capture minutes and service levels that drive resourcing.
Board members thanked CAC presenters and asked for follow-up on implementation, financial analysis and a written progress report in several months. The board approved appointments to the CAC later in the meeting.
The CAC said it will continue engagement with district staff to address compliance and to raise graduation rates for students receiving special education services.
