Fresno Unified School District
CAC Meeting Minutes March 17th, 2026
Community Advisory Committee for Special Education Meeting
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Location: Adult Transition Program, 3132 E. Fairmont Ave., Fresno, CA 93726
MINUTES
Welcome (Chair Wong) – 5:35 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)
17 members were present when roll was called; quorum was met.
Agenda Approval (Chair Wong)
Approval of February Meeting Minutes postponed to next meeting.
Motion to accept: 1st Steven V., 2nd Bobette S. – 17 Yeas/0 Nays
New Membership (Secretary Aoki)
Zakeyia Vickers was present.
Motion to accept: 1st Steven V., 2nd Patricia C. – 17 Yeas/0 Nays
Old Business (Patrick Morrison)
None.
LCAP (presented by Ashlee Chiarito, Executive Officer, State and Federal)
The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) outlines how FUSD will reach its goals in early literacy, literacy intervention, college and career readiness, and life skills. This year feedback from students, teachers and families was incorporated into the Fall Climate & Culture survey. The top theme this year changed from academics to safety, possibly due to the mindset while taking the survey. Top themes from 3-12th grade students were Safety/Bullying, Nutrition, and Mental/Emotional Support. Top themes from families were Clear Communication Between School and Home, Safety/Bullying, and Language/Bilingual Support. Top themes from staff were Student Behavior, Staff Supports, and Mental/Emotional Supports.
The draft of the LCAP will be revised in May, following the Governor’s May Revise of the state budget. The LCAP will present the May revise to the FUSD Board in June at the LCAP Public Hearing. State-wide enrollment is down. The implementation of Transitional Kindergarten has pushed numbers up and slowed the decline in overall enrollment. With full implementation this year, the annual 1% decline is forecasted to return for the next 10 years.
FUSD currently has a $50 million ongoing deficit due to declining enrollment, lower student attendance, expansion of staff and programs, and the end of one-time relief funding. Attendance could improve by sending kids to school more now that COVID restrictions are lifted and by taking vacations during school breaks. We will see more cuts next year at school sites.
Julie W. – Consultants hired for the Board seems like an easy cut to make.
Answer – Yes, definitely something has been cut.
Extended Learning and Summer Programs (presented by Julie Wheelock & Shertao Vang)
The Expanded Learning Department has a partnership with Special Education Department to ensure Summer Camp works for all students. Summer camps are student-centered expanded learning experiences offered to all students, with priority access given to students who are considered unduplicated (English learners, eligible for free or reduced-price meals, and/or classified as foster or homeless youth). Camp dates are designed to have the least impact on students (after Summer Academy, Extended School Year [ESY], etc.) so camp may be available for all students. Expanded Learning works with SPED to identify registered students that require support. They try their best to ensure supports are available on day 1; early registration is the best way parents can help their student have support at camp, as late registration is more difficult to accommodate. Parents/guardians will receive a unique registration text for each student in the language of their choice. Make sure your primary cellphone number and language is correct in ATLAS. The Summer Camp Brochure will be sent out in 3-5 weeks. Camp dates are:
· Session 1: July 13-17
· Session 2: July 20-24
· Session 3: July 27-31
Quick tip for families: if you accidentally texted “STOP” to block all text messages from InPlay in the past, you would need to text “START” to (559) 825-2030 to begin receiving text messages from InPlay again.
Julie W. – SPED does not get early access?
Answer – The student would need to fit into the three categories listed earlier to have early access. Not all students fit into the categories for early registration.
Julie W. – For swimming, can a student sign up twice?
Answer – A change to summer programs this year is that you can’t enroll into multiple camps per week (e.g. one AM and another one PM). Please try not to enroll in the same camp all three weeks; the students tend to get bored, and then the behaviors start coming out.
Julie Wheelock – Some of the most fragile students have participated in cheer, etc. There is no student we cannot provide access for. However, please look at the brochure and see what interests them. Help them be successful by choosing wisely. We want the students to have the best experience so choose a camp that fits. Summer camps are enrichment, not education, so there are no cognitive demands.
Angela J. – My son has been denied two years in a row due to diapering.
Answer – Please enroll as early as possible. We pull the enrollment once per week. We may not have had time to find support last minute. This is not a perfect process; vendors may not realize they have to provide to ALL students. Reach out so we can identify those camps to make sure it’s inclusive. A student should never be denied so please call us. A para[professional] might not show up, and we might not know. There are 200+ staff to support students
Bobbette S. – Can parents get notification that their student will have support? If I sign my student up all three weeks, can they have the same para?
Answer – We could try to get the same para, but it would be very difficult. Up until the Sunday before camp starts, we are still pulling paras.
Patricia C. – The “All About Me” sheet might be useful for summer camp.
Steven R. – The one-page profile would easily flag for further needs.
Answer – A parent can take it, but the student won’t have the same access as in an educational setting. There are also HIPA and other medical guidelines to follow, but you can give the basics.
Julie W. – The document binders the CAC handed out earlier this year have a page/info for student that could be copied and taken.
Parent – Go early to camp. Keep in mind FUSD and vendor staff may not know, but we normally assume everyone knows. Many times, it’s the first time for a vendor. Make sure to speak to a FUSD staff member about protocol.
Answer – The first day is always hectic. FUSD staff should be easy to identify in an orange/green vest. Vendors should have a vendor uniform. We are actively working to fine-tune supports for camps. 50% of assigned paras drop out; by the third day they’ve realized it’s too hot, etc.
Cara F. – For River Camp, the summer heat would not be compatible for a student suffering from seizures. Also, many paras might be pooped after ESY.
Online – How do summer camps align with ESY?
Answer – They do not overlap with ESY; ESY ends July 10, and camps start July 13.
Julie W. – Does each camp have requirements (e.g. hot, outside, loud music, strobing lights, etc.) so that parents are warned before signing up?
Answer – That is good feedback.
CAPTAIN (presented by Marissa Saldate, Manager III, Special Education)
CAPTAIN is a multiagency network developed to support the understanding and use of Evidence-Based Practices for individuals affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder across California. Their vision is to develop a Statewide Training and Technical Assistance Network with a focus on Evidence-Based Practices for individuals with Autism inclusive of stakeholder agencies who will disseminate information at the Local Level. Their goals are:
1. Increase knowledge about ASD and EBPs through systematic dissemination of information.
2. Increase implementation and fidelity of EBPs in schools and communities.
3. Increase interagency collaborations to leverage resources and standardize a process for using EBPs.
CAPTAIN is part of California’s statewide system of support; a SELPA Content Lead for ASD in partnership with Marin County SELPA. FUSD is a one-district SELPA.
If you search for autism treatments on Google, a myriad of treatments can be found; claims range from amelioration to recovery, many with no scientific evidence for individuals with ASD. There has been a systematic review to regulate EBPs. The National Autism Center (NAC) released the National Standards Project Report Phase 2 (NSP2) in April 2015. The National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice (NCAEP) released resources in April 2020:
· 28 Evidence Based Practices
· AFIRM
· CSESA
· EBPs for Young Children
The NCAEP defines an EBP as focused intervention practices that have evidence of efficacy in promoting positive outcomes for learners with ASD. Criteria for a qualification of an EBP are 2+ group design studies or 5+ single case design studies or a combination of evidence. Five new EBPs are:
· Augmentative and Alternative Communication
· Behavioral Momentum Intervention
· Direct Instruction
· Music-Mediated Intervention
· Sensory Integration (referring explicitly to the model developed by Jean Ayers, 2005)
There is a matrix for the 28 EBPs broken out into developmental age groups which can be used to see which intervention might be appropriate.
FUSD has about 70 autism programs (originally started with 14).
Free high-quality training is available that can be done at home through Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules (AFIRM). It is designed to help you learn the step-by-step process of planning for, using, and monitoring EBPs with learners with ASD from birth to 22 years of age.
Educational Partners Forum
Skipped – ran out of time
Announcements
Next Upcoming CAC Meeting: Tuesday, April 21, 2026 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Closing & Adjournment (Chair Wong) – 7:30 p.m.