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Parents press Rialto board over one‑on‑one aid changes; board pulls special‑education policy for community review
Summary
Parents described one‑on‑one support failures and urged delay of revised Board Policy 0430. The board agreed to pull the policy from second reading, convene a committee and schedule community listening (CPAC Nov. 7) for further review.
Parents and community members pressed the Rialto Unified School District board on Oct. 22 about special‑education staffing, continuity of one‑on‑one aids and the language of a revised local special‑education policy, prompting the board to withdraw the policy from immediate approval and schedule further community review.
Stephanie Lopez, president of the District’s CPAC and parent of a kindergartner with an IEP, told the board her son Tristan lost a permanent one‑on‑one aide when that employee took a different district role. Lopez said the district replaced the aide with an agency‑provided worker and did so without first hiring a new permanent one‑on‑one for her child. "This lacks continuity of care and creates instability and inequity for him," Lopez said, asking the board to "give him back the stability he needs." (Public comments, SEG 967–SEG 1041.)
Parent advocate Anna Gonzalez said she previously asked the board to delay item E1.1 — the second reading of revised Board Policy 0430, the comprehensive local plan for special education — until parents could provide input and collaborate on policy language. "This is not my first time working with districts on policy language," Gonzalez said; she asked that the board table the item so parents can contribute to wording that reflects district values.
In response, Dr. Scott, the district’s executive director of special services, said BP 0430 is a general local plan aligned with East Valley SELPA and that more detailed language (including mandatory staff training and other procedures) would appear in related policies. Dr. Scott offered to convene a subcommittee and invited parents to upcoming CPAC and listening sessions; the board later set a CPAC listening session for Nov. 7 at 5:00 p.m. (Beastro) as part of the follow‑up.
After discussion, the board voted to pull the second reading of BP 0430 from the agenda and to send this and associated special‑education policies to committee for more comprehensive review with parent and stakeholder input. Board members said the action was intended to allow time for targeted policy review rather than to block policy updates.
What happens next: District staff and Dr. Scott will convene a committee/subcommittee and host the announced CPAC/listening session; the policy will return to the board after community input and policy consolidation.
Provenance: Parent testimony and requests to table the policy (SEG 967–SEG 1041; SEG 1569–SEG 1621); staff Q&A and board motion to pull (SEG 2682–SEG 2969).
