Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents press Rialto board over special‑education aides and language in local plan
Summary
Parents and the board debated revisions to the district's local special‑education plan (policy E1.1). Several parents urged delaying final adoption to allow substantive family input on language affecting individualized education program (IEP) supports; trustees agreed to additional community meetings and subcommittees.
Several parents urged Rialto Unified trustees on Oct. 24 to delay or revise language in the district’s local special‑education plan (policy E1.1), saying proposed changes could affect how one‑to‑one aides and other individualized supports are assigned.
Stephanie López told trustees her child lost a one‑to‑one aide when the district moved that aide to a different assignment and replaced the position with agency staff; she said the change undermined her child’s stability and IEP goals and asked the board to “regrésenle esa estabilidad que él necesita.”
Other speakers, including parent‑volunteers and members of the district’s community advisory groups, thanked staff for restoring adult‑education and community programs but asked for clearer communication and more parent participation on special‑education language. Ana González asked the board to withdraw or postpone E1.1 until parents could provide intentional, co‑designed wording that aligns with community values.
Dra. Scott, director of Special Education, told trustees the policy text shown is aligned with the East Valley SELPA and that some language is dictated by Education Code requirements; she offered to form a subcommittee and scheduled additional listening sessions and a December community session to gather feedback. Trustees discussed packaging multiple policy updates and returning them as a set so parents would have time to review consolidated changes.
At the meeting the board recorded a second reading of the policy and approved the item with the understanding that staff will host subcommittee meetings and listening sessions to refine language and address concerns about professional development and aide assignments. Trustees emphasized that specific operational practices (for example, how aides are assigned or hired) would be addressed in subsequent policy updates or administrative procedures rather than by deleting Education Code language in the current document.
The board directed staff to convene parents and stakeholder groups (including CPAC and CAC) for follow‑up meetings and to present a package of related policy updates for review at a future meeting.
