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Board adopts Inclusive Schools Week after CAC urges tech, planning and staffing fixes for special education
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution declaring Dec. 1'5 Inclusive Schools Week after the district's Community Advisory Committee on Special Education outlined recommendations on parent-facing materials, IEP technology access, co-planning time and classroom WiFi; the superintendent said districtwide wiring would cost about $190 million.
The San Francisco Board of Education on Oct. 28 adopted a resolution recognizing Inclusive Schools Week after hearing a detailed annual report from the district's Community Advisory Committee for Special Education (CAC). CAC leaders urged the district to standardize parent-oriented language, expand training on response-to-intervention (RTI) and inclusive practices, and ensure technology access at Individualized Education Program meetings.
Kim Webb, chair of the CAC, and committee members presented recommendations that included an updated special education procedural handbook in multiple languages, mandated technology access for IEP meetings (SACE access), and a districtwide plan to make co-planning and co-teaching routines available to classroom teams. The CAC documented teacher vacancies and asked the district to track progress on individualized IEP goals and benchmarks for students with disabilities.
Superintendent Carranza said the district is aligning those recommendations with its digital district plan and universal-design approach to instruction. The superintendent told the board the ballpark cost to wire every classroom for adequate WiFi and bandwidth is about $190,000,000, and noted that the district is pursuing partnerships and staged investments to make progress.
Deputy and CAC speakers also highlighted a model the CAC recommends: a technology resource center akin to the Marin SELPA's center that loans adaptive devices, provides software access and runs training. CAC members pressed for a stronger district emphasis on translated documents and parent empowerment so families can participate effectively in legally binding IEP decisions.
After the presentation, the board moved, seconded and voted unanimously to adopt the Inclusive Schools Week recognition, asking staff to return with updates and implementation details.
The board asked staff to provide clarifying follow-ups on the proposed handbook updates, the timeline and cost breakdown for WiFi rollouts, and staffing shortage metrics. The CAC said it will report back to the board in April with progress updates.
