Photo: NAEYC
It’s been a recurring and known issue for the Palo Alto Unified School District since 2016: A disproportionate number of Latino and Black students are classified as having a learning disability and placed in special education services, according to a recent district self-assessment.
But in an attempt to answer and tackle the big why, a task force found that the district has been improperly placing students of color in special education for reasons that range from the lack of an effective districtwide intervention system before special education placement to racial biases among faculty.
The assessment was conducted over the past year to guide the district’s Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS) plan, which was briefly mentioned during the district school board meeting on Tuesday evening.
In January, the state Department of Education identified the district as having a “significantly disproportionate” amount of Black and Hispanic students classified with a learning disability and placed in special education.
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