Board presses CCA leaders to clarify admission language after advocacy for English‑learner students

During the meeting, a Santee teacher, Imelda Murillo, read a parent’s appeal asking the board to reconsider a denial to College Connection Academy (CCA) for a newcomer English learner. "We respectfully ask that his application be reviewed again," Murillo read on behalf of Brenda Dominguez, urging the board to consider language‑acquisition factors rather than a strict reading‑level cutoff.

Principal Juan Alcantar and Dr. Trujillo explained CCA’s historical admissions threshold (the application has long referenced a fourth‑grade reading level) and said the program’s intensity requires students to access rigorous coursework, including AP and EVC dual‑enrollment. Alcantar noted the program’s supports (academic counselor, interventions, homework clubs) but acknowledged the application did not explicitly say reading could be measured in a student’s native language. "We are going to explicitly state it," Dr. Trujillo said, committing to clarify application language for 2026–27 and to expand targeted outreach and transportation supports for underrepresented schools. Trustee Rodriguez pressed for both short‑term remedies (case review for today’s parent) and long‑term strategies to raise early‑grade reading proficiency so more English learners can access CCA.

Trustees and administrators agreed on next steps: clarify application language, increase targeted family outreach in Spanish and Vietnamese, and review the specific parent case raised during public comment so the family can understand the denial and appeal options.