In an April 24 letter from CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Billy makes the case that California schools need additional funding and flexibility. Specifically, CSBA requests the Governor:

In this space last month, I commended the tireless work of trustees, administrators, teachers, classified staff and others for truly rising to the challenge and finding creative ways to teach and serve students on a massive scale and in relatively short order. And while much of the focus has been appropriately placed on the need for distance learning, what deserves equal attention is whether schools and their students have the resources to implement distance learning effectively and equitably. According to CSBA’s latest COVID-19 survey, other education organization research and a wide-ranging collection of recent news articles, the answer is no.

This unprecedented instructional shift forced by the COVID-19 pandemic is now shining the brightest spotlight yet on California’s long-standing digital divide, which undermines the academic, career and life prospects of students as well as the state’s economic potential. Particularly, students in low-income and rural communities frequently lack access to computers and broadband internet, making it difficult for schools to provide instruction in an equitable manner. To put it simply, many students lack access to technology when they need it most.

The opportunity for members of the public to address the governing board during board meetings is an essential and legally required part of school district governance. Members of the public may speak to any item on the agenda before or during consideration of the item, including closed session and consent items, and to items not on the agenda but within the subject matter jurisdiction of the board. In special meetings, which include emergency meetings, members of the public are able to address the board only regarding agenda items.

Boards are authorized to provide reasonable limits on the amount of time allocated for public testimony on a particular issue and for each individual speaker. Optional language in CSBA’s sample Board Bylaw 9323 – Meeting Conduct designates three minutes per speaker and 20 minutes per agenda or non-agenda item. Such reasonable regulation must ensure that the intent of allowing the public an adequate opportunity to speak to the board is carried out. Thus, while boards may provide general guidance about the total amount of time permitted per issue and speaker, circumstances may necessitate adjustments in order to provide full opportunity for public input.

Kicking off the series April 27 with an examination of state and federal guidance related to COVID-19, CSBA experts provided attendees with an overview of grading, testing, child care and emergency federal funding, as well as waivers granted thus far. Most importantly, panelists explained how all these changes impact LEAs and the role of district and county office governance teams.

The plaintiff argued on appeal before the Ninth Circuit that the district court should not have granted Clovis USD’s motion to dismiss, arguing that she was not required to exhaust administrative remedies before bringing her Section 504 and ADA claims in federal court; that settlement of IDEA claims should satisfy administrative exhaustion for purposes of both IDEA appeals, and Section 504 and ADA claims; and that failure to exhaust could not be raised until the summary judgment stage of the case, after the potentially lengthy and costly discovery of evidence has been completed. A ruling in favor of the plaintiff could have significantly increased the time and effort involved in litigation, as well as future litigation costs, for school districts in similar cases, so CSBA and its Education Legal Alliance filed an amicus brief before the Ninth Circuit in support of the district.

“Students are experiencing new and ongoing trauma without the daily support of their teachers, their peers and other staff. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we reach out to our students to ensure their safety, and to determine what their needs are so that we can connect with them and connect them to appropriate resources,” Jackson said.

The San Diego County Office of Education partnered with San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan to send a letter to the region’s educators on reporting during this time. The letter included a request that educators make an extra effort to reach out to children who: