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Parents press Rialto Unified to revise special‑education policy as board approves first reading
Summary
Parents asked the board to pull and revise a first reading of BP 0430 (Comprehensive Local Plan for Special Education), raising concerns about IEP procedures, least restrictive environment language, emergency preparedness and mandated training; the board accepted public input and approved the first reading with direction to staff to incorporate community suggestions.
The Rialto Unified School District Board of Education on Oct. 8 approved the first reading of a revised board policy (BP 0430) establishing the district’s comprehensive local plan for special education after parents asked that the item be pulled for more precise language and additional community input.
Parents at the meeting described recurring failures to communicate and provide legally required services. Anna Gonzalez, a Myler parent, urged the board to clarify wording in the draft policy and to specify timelines and staff training for IEP implementation. She said district staff and parents had not received follow‑up on a campus sewer issue that left an accessible bathroom out of service and that her daughter’s IEP progress stalled: “They have not heard anything and they’re still concerned,” Gonzalez said. “You cannot take care of [students with disabilities] in a regular bathroom stall.”
Another speaker who asked the board to pull E1.5 said the policy needed clearer instructions about when students are referred for special education, the steps for IEP development and how the district will handle emergency preparedness and continuity of services in a future school closure or disaster.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Judy White told trustees the draft follows Education Code requirements but that staff had taken notes during the public comment and would return a revised draft. Board member Evelyn P. Dominguez said the document needs close line‑by‑line review so the policy is “clear for staff, community, students and the well‑being of the child.” Trustees agreed that if a change is not legally permissible, staff will explain why; if it can be changed, it should reflect the board’s and community’s input.
The board voted to proceed with the first reading and asked members of the public to submit specific suggested wording to the superintendent’s office so staff can prepare redline edits for the next reading. The board emphasized that Education Code constraints govern some language, and staff indicated legal limits will be explained in future packets.
Next steps: the policy will return for additional readings after staff incorporate community recommendations and the board’s edits. The board did not adopt a final policy on Oct. 8; it advanced the item to the next review phase.
