Parents press ABC Unified on transfer denials and disability accommodations

During public comment on June 4, community members raised concerns about the district's handling of interdistrict transfer requests and of special‑education accommodations.

Margaret Saito said the district had about 3,000 pending interdistrict transfer requests and urged faster processing and clearer communication to families. She described a case where a kindergarten‑through‑grade parent applied for a first‑grade placement six weeks earlier and was denied because the receiving school cited "impacted programs," despite the applicant believing the school had capacity. "If you're going to reject us outright, tell us up front," Saito said, asking district staff to reexamine denials and provide families with alternatives.

Parent Lloyd Jones spoke about his daughter Lexi at Gar High School. He said an English teacher has refused to grade Lexi's work based on disability‑related absences and that repeated attempts to resolve the problem with school administrators and counselors since March had not produced a remedy. Jones invoked protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act and asked the board to intervene to ensure work is graded fairly and absences are excused when appropriate. "This grade will have a long‑lasting negative impact on her academic record," he said.

District staff acknowledged both comments and asked to collect contact information so staff could follow up. No formal remedy or appeal decision was recorded in the meeting minutes; the issues remained open at adjournment.

The board closed public comment after the speakers and proceeded with consent and informational items.