Oakland USD Comprehensive Review of Special Education
From an ally to families in the Oakland Unified School District
September 6, 2019
Anna Johnson, former Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) family, former CAC member and now ally to SPED families in OUSD has shared some documents she obtained from the the California Department of Education (CDE) related to the Comprehensive Review of Special Education in OUSD.
The reports are eye opening. This is something that advocacy groups and parents can and should request for their district(s) from CDE or their Special Education Local Plan District (SELPA) in order to get a picture of what the students with disabilities experiencing.
"Last year the CDE selected districts around the state to conduct audits of Special Education. Oakland was one of these districts. These audits are triggered based on the number of compliance complaints and due process filings. These state audits are mandatory as a result of a judgement against the state for failing to provide oversight and support to districts who demonstrate noncompliance of special education procedures. I am taking the unprecedented privilege of posting these documents without the other admin knowledge because I want to protect them from possible retaliation from the district. Since I no longer live in Oakland, what harm can OUSD do to me and my family? I obtained these documents by submitting a public records request to the state and they complied with my request within a week's time. I also submitted two public records requests to OUSD on August 17 and August 27 and have yet to receive the documents from the district. They have failed to comply with the public records act by denying me access to these documents. I saw the post about the upcoming CAC meeting on Monday, September 9th and felt that these documents should be made publicly available to parents so they can review and prepare for the meeting. Please review the documents and share widely. Perhaps with this type of transparency, changes can be made so that students with disabilities and their parents can access a Free and Appropriate Public Education that they are entitled to under the law. My recommendation is to begin by reviewing the document entitled "Oakland USD Cumulative Findings.pdf" letter to the superintendent. Good luck in your advocacy!"
Link To the Google Drive Documents
Thank you Anna!