Fresno Unified School District
CAC Meeting Minutes January 20th, 2026
Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Location: Adult Transition Program, 3132 E. Fairmont Ave., Fresno, CA 93726
MINUTES
Welcome (Chair Wong) – 5:42 pm
CAC stands for the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education, a volunteer group composed predominantly of parents of children with special needs who attend school within the Fresno Unified School District. CAC is a group of parents, school personnel, and other community members who work together to ensure that children with special needs receive the best education available. CAC meets once a month to provide parents with up-to-date information on issues that impact their children, the opportunity to communicate with district administrators, and the chance to connect with other parents. CAC’s responsibilities include advising the policy and administrative entity of the district, Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA), or county office, regarding the development, amendment, and review of the Local Plan. The Local Plan describes the local policies, procedures and programs that are consistent with state laws, regulations and policies for Special Education. Fresno Unified is required by law to have a CAC.
CAC Respect Agreement: to foster a respectful, inclusive and productive environment where all members feel valued and heard.
· Respectful communication
o Listen actively and without interruption.
o Speak honestly, but with kindness and consideration.
o Avoid sarcasm, personal attacks or dismissive language.
o Endeavor to use person-first language.
· Inclusivity and equity
o Ensure all voices are heard, especially quieter ones.
o Do not talk over one another.
o Please keep comments to a three-minute maximum. We will set a timer to ensure everyone gets a chance to speak.
o Be mindful of cultural, gender and personal differences.
o Avoid assumptions; ask when unsure.
· Collaboration
o Share ideas openly and welcome feedback.
o Support others in their roles and responsibilities.
o Resolve conflicts constructively and privately when possible.
· Confidentiality and trust
o When speaking of your concerns, please do not use your student’s name or the school location. Please respect the confidentiality needs of your student.
o Respect private conversations and sensitive information.
o Build trust through transparency and consistency.
Roll Call (Secretary Aoki)
11 members were present when roll was called; quorum was met. Additional member arrived late for a total of 12 members.
Agenda Approval (Chair Wong)
Motion to accept with corrections (LCAP postponed; switch order of Assessment Process and DIS): 1st Eileen G., 2nd Angela J. – 11 Yeas/0 Nays
Previous Meeting Minutes Approval (Chair Wong)
Motion to accept: 1st Steven V., 2nd Bobette S. – 11 Yeas/0 Nays
New Membership (Secretary Aoki)
Steven Ramos was present.
Motion to accept: 1st Steven V., 2nd Angela J. – 11 Yeas/0 Nays
Old Business (Patrick Morrison)
Postponed to next meeting.
Assessment Process (presented by Kelly Hawkins, School Psychologist)
Concerns (from parents, teachers, administration, and/or therapists) drive assessments.
The school psychologist’s role:
· Problem Identification and Referral – collaborate with educators and families to clarify referral concerns, ensuring that the suspected disability is clearly defined
· Hypothesis Development – which eligibility categories are most likely implicated
· Assessment Planning – may involve multiple domains
· Data Collection – utilize norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and curriculum-based measures as well as structured observations, interviews and rating-scales
o RIOT – records, interviews, observations, testing
· Rule-Out Procedures – consider exclusionary data to ensure disability is not misidentified
Team consisting of school psychologist, teachers, therapists, etc. gathers information. Types of assessments/information:
· Academic Tests – reading, writing and math skills
· Cognitive Tests – problem-solving and thinking
· Social-Emotional Information – feelings and behavior
· Speech and Language Evaluations
· Medical and Developmental History
· Classroom Observations
· Interviews
The team applies federal and state criteria to determine whether the student meets the definition of a disability category and whether the disability adversely affects educational performance.
There are 13 categories of eligibility for an Individualized Education Program (IEP):
· Autism – challenges with social interaction and communication
· Specific Learning Disability (SLD) – difficulties in reading, writing, or math
· Other Health Impairment (OHI) – medical conditions limiting strength or alertness
· Intellectual Disability – below-average intellectual abilities
· Speech or Language Impairment – trouble speaking or understanding language
· Deaf-Blindness – both hearing and vision loss
· Deafness – severe hearing loss
· Emotional Disturbance – mental health conditions affecting learning
· Hearing Impairment – partial hearing loss
· Multiple Disabilities – more than one serious disability
· Orthopedic Impairment – physical disabilities
· Traumatic Brain Injury – brain injury affecting learning or behavior
· Visual Impairment (including Blindness) – partial or total vision loss
If eligible, information is presented at an IEP meeting; and an IEP is created to support student’s learning, starting with the least restrictive environment.
Steven R. – What bar does a student need to reach for ADHD, etc., to fall under an IEP?
Answer – There are three questions; if met, then does the student require Special Education or would a 504 Plan with specialized accommodations fit their needs?
Julie W. – If you want a student assessed, what should you do?
Answer – Come to school and submit a parent request. The school has 15 days to come up with an assessment plan (narrows down specific assessments after meeting with school staff and teachers). After the assessment plan is signed, the school has 60 days to hold an IEP meeting (may take up to 50 days just to get good information).
Julie W. – What if a parent doesn’t agree with the assessment?
Answer – Hopefully through the process you can see effort the team has put into the assessment, but parents can request an independent evaluation (IEE). You can request one IEE by an outside assessor at the public’s expense during the student’s time in the district. FUSD has a list of vendors and a cost cap that can help.
Designated Instructional Services (DIS) (presented by Dr. Patricia Camarillo, Vision Impairment Specialist)
Designated Instructional Services may also be referred to as Related Services, which fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The 13 disability categories for IDEA listed earlier may be grouped from high to low incidence. High incidence (10% of the student population) categories within FUSD include Emotional Disability, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, and Speech and Language Impairment. This data has changed over time; e.g. the incidence of Autism has increased significantly over time. The Multiple Disabilities category is for students with two or more disabilities (usually for students that are in specialized facilities), although the district tries not to use this category as it is harder to capture statistics for the lower incidence categories. Low incidence (less than 1% of the student population) categories in FUSD are Deaf-Blindness, Deafness, Hearing Impairment, Orthopedic Impairment, and Visual Impairment (including Blindness).
DIS are specialized support services provided in schools – most commonly within Special Education – to help students access and benefit from their instruction. DIS are not stand-alone classes, but related services that support a student’s learning (IEP) goals. Some services are available through the General Education program, e.g. Speech and Language; however, many services are only accessible through specialized programs, e.g. Special Day Class (SDC), Resource Specialist Program (RSP), etc. Common examples of DIS are speech and language therapy, occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), counseling or psychological services (outside the development of the IEP), behavioral intervention services, vision services, orientation and mobility (O&M), audiology services, adapted physical education (APE), assistive technology services (AT), health or nursing services (when needed for school participation). These services must show an educational benefit – help the student make meaningful progress in their education, tailored to their unique needs.
The assessment plan addresses the evaluation areas and examiners, and whether it is an initial or re-evaluation (3-year).
America C. – Do you let parents know all categories child needs?
Answer – I like to think the school psychologist will notice all needs, with help from the school nurse.
If you suspect your student needs additional support, first ask yourself if the need is impacting their educational access to the learning environment. If so, talk to your student’s case manager (may be different from their teacher of record or substitute). You may also talk to the school psychologist (or another DIS provider at the school site), the school principal, or the Regional Instructional Manager (RIM). The assigned DIS provider will consult with the Special Education team and determine the next steps; this may be requesting additional documents and/or contacting parents/guardians to discuss concerns. If they determine an impact to the student’s educational access, the assessment plan will be sent home with the area of need marked for assessment. They have 60 days to assess, and an IEP meeting will be held to review the results of the assessment and determine eligibility for services.
Please consider that DIS providers are usually itinerant (traveling) with the exception of Speech and Language Pathologists (SLPs), who might have an office space at the school site. Caseloads may change throughout the year so it might take awhile to find the correct person to provide service. It is important to ensure the DIS provider is aware of the concerns and potential assessment so they can plan for it.
Steven R. – Do you train the front office staff on what is available for services?
Answer – Not necessarily front office staff.
Patricia C. – Parents are told, “No, we don’t have that.” Creates trauma and fear/mistrust that no one is helping. Also, there is fear of hearing all of the bad things; may help to focus on can,
not can’t.
Michael F. – We have revamped IEP training to go over the positives, but also things to work on.
Gretchen S. – Need to remind office assistants that they are the first line of contact for many families. Suggest starting with the home school liaison as they typically know the whole campus.
Parent – Requested a second IEP. I am frustrated. My son is in trouble, and he doesn’t want to go to school. From classroom observation, the teacher/student connection isn’t working. My son needs to transfer to a different teacher. I have been denied a transfer to a different school. Who do I talk to for support?
Julie W. – Please fill out a comment card. We will try to get back to you.
Educational Partners Forum
Julie W. – Welcome to the Educational Partners Forum. This is the time to share any successes, good things, or not so good things that have happened with your students. Please be aware that we limit comments or questions to three minutes to ensure that everyone has a chance to speak if they want. We use a timer so please do not take it personally if you hear the timer beep. We do not respond to all concerns during the Educational Partners Forum. For those we don’t address, we will try to find the right person for you to talk to after the meeting. We can also help you submit any questions that cannot be answered here to “Let’s Talk” on the district website.
Julie W. – Parents learn information from other parents. There usually is another parent that has gone through it. I have learned to get written records and to ask for the IEP and supplemental documents one week prior to look over ahead of time. This way I’m not blindsided by information during the IEP meeting. I’ve also learned that my student might not get PT services, but she can get help from class to class (by being let out early and/or sitting by the door so she can get through the halls before they are too crowded).
For some good news, I saw three Bullard HS baseball players and a coach assisting a person with his vehicle before emergency services could arrive.
Cara F. – Thank you to the district for focusing on the positives of the student.
Julie W. – Thank you to the staff for attending tonight’s meeting.
Patricia C. – Some teachers can’t see growth when they only have a student for one year. Luckily, I get to follow my students so I get to see them grow.
America C. – I received an email that my student in Special Education got accepted to Patiño.
Angela J. – The district needs to keep in mind first-year Special Education teachers with difficult students. Is it taken into account for caseloads?
Patricia C. – There is a pattern that a lot of first-year teachers get more students on IEPs.
Michael F. – We are onboarding lots of new teachers with Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) training, curriculum and behavior plan training. We don’t want to burn out the new teachers. They have access to more professional learning and assigned to a mentor.
Patricia C. – Good changes are coming. We should add restorative practices to out CAC schedule.
Jen D. – New teachers can have open minds to try new things and more optimism; they aren’t burnt out.
Parent – I’ve noticed irregularities at my son’s school. The para[professional] is taking a break from my student. I want to know why, but I’m not getting a response. He was also getting ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy on campus, but now it isn’t allowed and the district isn’t providing other services. My student has behavior issues that don’t affect other students. The other para is always on the phone. We have an IEP coming up.
Patricia C. – Please fill out a comment form.
Michael F. – There are expectations for paras and teachers. There should be a break schedule. We have increased professional learning. We no longer allow in outside ABA as they can’t bill for our school day, can’t double billable hours.
America C. – What is the difference between outside ABA and services?
Michael F. – IEP drives academic services; the difference is educational versus behavioral team.
Parent – My daughter got an appointment for the Doctor Academy. My son is walking home from second grade.
Michael F. – Special Olympics are coming up. Bullard is February 6, and Hoover is February 8.
Gretchen S. – It’s nice to see parents showing up to the meetings and advocating for their children.
Ebony H. – I attended the Martin Luther King, Jr. Walk. I also helped with Beautify Fresno downtown. We are doing the best we can to make sure your child is living the dream.
Abraham O. – We are coming up with ideas for the fiscal crisis. We are losing 1,200 students per year, which decreases the amount of money coming in. We are trying to be more strategic with our resources and realigning supports.
Steven R. – I’ve noticed consistent families come to support their students. This is a place to actively listen and help.
Parent – Is there an online meeting for parents?
Julie W. – Cara F. is running the meeting online.
Julie W. – There is a future Special Education teacher in the back. She is in the Teacher Academy at Gibson.
Parent – If students are turning in their computers, parents may not have access to the CAC meetings.
Answer – You can download Teams to your phone and use your student’s login to join.
Announcements
Next Upcoming CAC Meeting: Tuesday, February 17, 2026 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Closing & Adjournment (Chair Wong) – 7:32 p.m.