Fresno Unified School District
CAC Meeting Minutes November 12th, 2024
Community Advisory Committee for Special Education Meeting
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Location: Adult Transition Program, 3132 E. Fairmont Ave., Fresno, CA 93726
MINUTES
Welcome (Chair Wong) – 6:10 pm
Overview of evening’s agenda.
Roll Call (Vice-Chair Aoki)
9 members were present; quorum was met.
Agenda Approval (Chair Wong)
Motion to accept: 1st Cara F., 2nd Patrick S. – 9 Yeas/0 Nays
Previous Month’s Minutes (Chair Wong)
Motion to accept: 1st Monica S., 2nd Patrick S. – 9 Yeas/0 Nays
Membership (Vice-Chair Aoki)
Applicants: Elizabeth Cabral, Ofelia Jardon, Mayeli Uribe
None of the applicants were in attendance so no vote was taken.
Old Business/New Business (Chair Wong)
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 identify the needs of students with special needs in our district and advises the district on issues relating to special education. CAC works to provide information to parents and also listens to parents’ concerns. CAC’s ultimate purpose is to participate in a partnership with the school district that enhances the education of each child with special needs. Fresno Unified is required by law to have a CAC.
CAC Respect Agreement:
· Recognize and respect differences of perspective and style of the CAC among members, staff, students, parents/guardians and the community.
· Act with dignity and understand the implications of demeanor and behavior.
· When speaking of your concerns, please do not use your student’s name or the school location. Please respect the confidentiality and needs of your student.
To find out more information and/or contact the CAC Executive Board, like/follow us on Facebook or email fusd.cac@gmail.com.
Introduce FUSD administration & board trustees in attendance.
New K-6 History-Social Science Curriculum Adoption (presented by Heather Bright, TSA)
Timeline for the adoption:
· August-October 2024 – K through 6th Adoption Team (46 members consisting of K-6 department leads, teachers, SpEd, GATE, A4, TSAs) reviewed 4 sets of materials adopted by the California Department of Education and selected 2 for in-class review
· November 2024-May 2025 – In-class (every teacher has access) review of TCI (November 18-December 20) and SAVVAS (January 21-February 19) to collect feedback from teachers, parents and students. The final selection will be presented to the Board in April; if adopted, implementation will begin at the end of the year (end of May).
· GOAL for Fall 2025 – New materials will be in classrooms and training accomplished district-wide.
Materials available for teachers to examine:
· Grade level Teacher’s Edition and Student’s Edition (TCI includes an interactive journal)
· Dual Language teachers also get K-2 Teacher’s Edition and Student’s Edition in Spanish
· Special Day teachers can choose the grade(s) needed (extra K-6 teacher set sent to any site with Special Day)
· Online access – allows text to be read and highlighted, A and B level differentiation
Locations with materials on display for parents:
· Every K-6 school site (5/6 at Baird, 6 at Cooper) – should be in all libraries/media centers
· Dual Language sites have K-2 sets in Spanish
· Farber’s EL Services has K-6 in English and K-2 in Spanish
· Center for Professional Development at E Street
· Education Center, 3rd Floor
Feedback wanted from teachers, parents, students (teacher-lead for K-2, more concerned about 3-6 finding it engaging and instructional), and district personnel.
Teacher training will be determined by site. Previous trainings were not made the most of when available. Teachers can request training, try to get site on board early. These tutorials are specific; able to go back.
Special Olympics (presented by Drew Torosian, Morgan Swain, Haley Janzer & Mike Fletcher)
The Special Olympics Northern California Schools Partnership Program involves the whole school and is inclusive with unified sports. It helps ignite friendship and belonging between students with and without disabilities and spans pre-K to Transition schools. The program unifies students with and without disabilities through sports, inclusive leadership, and campus-wide engagement. These activities educate students with the skills necessary to sustainably develop school communities that promote inclusion, acceptance, and respect for all students. Last school year (2023-24) within Fresno County, there were 23 athletic events and 124 schools (87 of those FUSD) participated from 17 districts. Special Olympics has grown within FUSD from 28 schools in 2022-23 to 40 in 2023-24, the number of unified athletes from 186 to 302, and the number of unified partners from 127 to 181. The unified sports offered are soccer, basketball, track & field, volleyball and golf. Traditional sports (similar to CIF league) offered are soccer, basketball, track & field (events are now part of the CIF state meet), volleyball and softball. Participation in traditional sports has also increased in all ages: elementary from 470 in 2022-23 to 1,379 in 2023-24; middle school from 99 to 276; and high school from 660 to 1,045. These sports all start at the school site to get started; parents need to talk to teachers and/or site administrators if interested.
Frequently asked questions:
· Who can participate? Special Olympics athletes are children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Athletes can begin participating at age 2 with the Young Athletes Program, training at 6 and competing at 8. There is no maximum age limit for Special Olympics. It is also completely free; the application is online.
· Where can I participate? Special Olympics offers up to 11 different sports in 43 counties across Northern California.
· Are there non-sports opportunities? Schools Partnership Program, athlete leadership, health and wellness, Young Athletes Program (ages 2 to 8 years old).
· How can I get involved/support? Unified partners*, coaches*, volunteers, day-of volunteers (*require background checks)
Upcoming Central Valley Sports:
· Basketball Regional Competition: Registration is November 1-30, 2024. Competition on March 8, 2025
· Swimming Regional Competition: Registration is February 1-28, 2025. Competition is TBD.
· Bocce Regional Competition: Registration is February 1-28, 2025. Competition is May 17, 2025.
· Track & Field Regional Competition: Registration is February 1-28, 2025. Competition is May 3, 2025.
· 2025 Summer Games: Qualify through regional competitions. Event is June 2025.
Other sports offered:
Summer: golf and softball
Fall: soccer, flag football, floor hockey
Health
· Virtual programming on the 3rd Wednesday of the month
· Winter Walking Club & Fitness Sessions
· Young Athletes Fitness Program & Family Health Resource Series (May)
· Community Health Fair @ Summer and Fall Games
MOU with Special Olympics to support funding for Special Olympics in FUSD – Kylie Wheelock
Added Professional Learning, monthly flyer, bring awareness to events and support site admin, personal contact with classroom teachers and support in preparation for events.
Educational Partners Forum & FUSD Board Trustee Listening Session (Trustees Susan Wittrup and Valerie Davis)
The meeting attendees were asked to participate in a thought exchange with 5 questions:
· What are your hopes and dreams for our kids?
o Access to the same services
o Not enough space
o IEPs aren’t available right away so students aren’t in proper placement
o All kids reach best potential
o Personal, social, living skills (cooking, sewing, managing money, etc.)
· How do we organize our educational system to get to your hopes and dreams?
o Identifying/assessing struggling children
o Allowing children to learn during school
o SpEd students receive support needed to thrive
§ Have enough Paras
o Equity across all regions
· What skills, talents and qualities do you want our kids to have when they leave Fresno Unified?
o Able to speak up for themselves
o Confidence, self-esteem, life skills
o Confident doing what they need to do
o Able to have gainful employment
o Every child leaves with empathy for community and peers, home economics, personal living skills
o Ability to effectively communicate and be part of a neighborhood
o For students earning diplomas, have an adult transition program for Senior Year to replace “busywork” classes or electives
§ ALPs get cooking/laundry
§ SDC doesn’t get that and no guarantee of getting into ATP
§ “tweeners” – look different on paper than how they function in real life
· With the previous question in mind, what do you believe Fresno Unified should avoid or stop doing as we focus on achieving your priorities?
o Departments don’t seem to talk to each other
o Parents don’t have access to student’s “portfolio”
o Stop putting increased responsibility on Paras; give Paras more training
· Of all the things you shared that you want for our kids, which is the most important?
Please contact your trustee by email for any other questions, comments, or feedback.
Announcements
This week is National School Psychologist Week.
Next Upcoming CAC Meeting: December 10, 2024. Note: we will be meeting at Farber Educational Center located at 720 S. Tenth St., Fresno, CA 93702.
Closing & Adjournment (Chair Wong) – 7:38 p.m.
Motion to accept: 1st Patricia C., 2nd Cara F. – 11 Yeas/0 Nays