We post news, statements, and other timely information related to State and PAUSD educational policy, special education, and Palo Alto CAC activities. You can read more about the Palo Alto CAC's advisory role on our District Advisory page.
News
CAC and Special Education News
CAC Comment on PAUSD Equity Plan
March 13, 2017
To: Members of the PAUSD School Board, Superintendent McGee and Dr. Castellon:
The Palo Alto Community Advisory Committee for Special Education (CAC) wholeheartedly supports inclusion of students with disabilities in PAUSD’s Equity Plan. We remind you that at this time, the CAC has not […]
U.S. Department of Education Releases Guidance on Civil Rights of Students with Disabilities
On December 28, 2016, the US Dept of Education published a press release and several documents addressing the rights of students with disabilities. This includes a new comprehensive guide to 504 plans, as well as guidance on the use of restraint & seclusion on students (and when this […]
Special Ed Review – Final Report and CAC Response
The final report of the PAUSD Special Education Review by Hehir and Associates has been released, and the Palo Alto CAC has issued a response. See below for documents.
This review affirms many of the issues and concerns we articulated previously, and surveys of teachers and administrators are […]
Middle School bullying case renews concerns over district’s response
VIDEO REPORT: Palo Alto Weekly Publisher Bill Johnson, Editor Jocelyn Dong and education reporter Elena Kadvany discuss the Palo Alto school district’s handling of the repeated bullying of a special-education middle-school student.
Unity Day 2016 – Recap from PAUSD
Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) students across the school district recently participated in a variety of meaningful activities to appreciate and celebrate diversity, kindness, inclusion and respect on Unity Day, a national event when schools and communities come together against bullying. October is National Bullying […]
Video of PA School Board Candidate Forum
2016 PAUSD School Board Candidate Forum, jointly sponsored by Parent Advocates for Student Success, the Palo Alto CAC, and the Palo Alto Council of PTAs. Video recording from Saturday, October 1st, 2016 […]
Board of Education Goals for the 2016-17 Academic Year
Superintendent McGee presented revised Board of Education Goals for the 2016-17 Academic Year on August 23, 2016
Revised the District Goals 2016-2017 including new Goal #8: “Develop a systems based work plan to address recommendations in forthcoming Special Education Program Review Report”
Intermediate […]
CAC Response to Proposed PAUSD Budget Cuts and status of Special Education Review
Statement presented by Palo Alto CAC for PAUSD School Board meeting, August 9, 2015.
Palo Alto CAC responded to proposed budget cuts and requested the Final Report for the Review of PAUSD Special Education be made public and discussed, before any decisions are made based upon its recommendations […]
CAC Response to the PAUSD Special Education Preliminary Review and Recommendations
Upon release of preliminary findings and recommendations from the Harvard Review of PAUSD Special Education, Palo Alto CAC addressed the School Board at its June 13th retreat and subsequently provided the following statement to the Board and district leadership.
The Review is an important first step in building […]
PAUSD Special Education Review – Preliminary Findings & Recommendation
PAUSD Special Education Review – Preliminary Findings & Recommendation
June 15, 2016
The Preliminary Findings and Recommendation from the Review of Special Education conducted by Tom Herir & Associates are now available.
Harvard Review Preliminary Findings
The review team visited our district, reviewed student-level data and […]