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Advocates tell Elk Grove board ESY problems are disrupting special education services
Summary
An EG Speaks representative urged the Elk Grove Unified board to address late ESY placement notices, vacancies and missing 1:1 supports for students with IEPs, saying the disruptions risk violating IEP requirements.
Amanda Scott, president of EG Speaks, used the boards public-comment period to document what she described as an increase in complaints about Extended School Year (ESY) services for students with IEPs, urging the district and the board to prioritize communication, staffing and the special education budget.
"Some of these issues include that parents didn't receive placement information for their students until days before the first day, some of them the day of," Scott said. She told the board that classrooms were "severely understaffed," that many children requiring 1:1 supports were not receiving them (which she described as a direct violation of their IEP), and that parents also reported transportation disruptions.
Scott said EG Speaks had been in contact with district leadership and pressed for increased communication, filling vacancies and ensuring consistent service delivery. "Our disabled students are often the first on the chopping block," she said, and promised to continue attending board meetings to press for prioritizing vulnerable students.
After the comment, President Vargas said staff would follow up with the commenter and the board moved on to the consent agenda. The board later approved the districts special education annual service delivery budget plan as a separate action item during the meeting.
