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Parents urge clearer CPAC selection rules and relief from exclusive uniform vendors at Elizabeth BOE meeting
Summary
At the Sept. board meeting, parent Christina Morerero asked the Elizabeth Board of Education to公开 CPAC membership and selection criteria, include families with 504 plans, and remove a PTA/PTO representative requirement; another parent alleged a student missed IEP services and sought district remedies.
Christina Morerero told the Elizabeth Board of Education on record that many families of students with disabilities do not know how to join the district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Group (CPAC) and urged changes to the proposed policy to ensure broader, transparent participation. “Providing written notice to all families of children with disabilities about the selection process and posting the names online is progress,” Morerero said, adding that the policy lacks clear guidelines for how principals will decide representatives.
Morerero pressed the board to include families of students with 504 plans in CPAC outreach, saying federal protections do not distinguish between IEP and 504 students and the district should not either. She also criticized a proposed requirement that one parent representative come from each school’s PTA or PTO, calling it unfair because some schools lack those organizations and others require dues that create financial barriers. “Remove barriers like PTA and PTO dues,” she said, urging the board to post CPAC agendas and meeting minutes publicly and to provide contact information so families can participate.
At the same public-comment session, Patty Galante alleged a separate concern about special-education services: she said a student went an entire year without services written in the child’s IEP and was denied compensatory education when requested. Galante also told the board she had been told that administrators were telling teachers they did not need special-education certification to deliver specially designed instruction; she said that is incorrect and that the district must honor students’ federal and civil rights.
Board staff acknowledged the comments and asked staff to follow up. Mr. Kennedy asked for contact details and a staff member (M. Johnson) was asked to collect information about the student Galante referenced so district staff can investigate and respond. The public-comment period closed after the board thanked speakers and moved on to presentations and committee business.
Why it matters: CPAC is the district’s formal parent advisory body for special education. Morerero’s requests—clear selection rules, broader outreach to families with 504 plans, and public posting of membership and agendas—affect parent access to advisory processes that can influence special-education services. Galante’s allegation raises potential compliance concerns about IEP implementation; the board asked staff to follow up.
Next steps: Board staff said they would provide additional information and the district posted that materials would be shared on the district website.
