Disregarding the Needs of the LAUSD’s Most Vulnerable Students
– Anthony Aguilar,LAUSD Chief of Special Education
The end of 2019 brought a conclusion to the Chanda Smith consent decree and its modification. For the first time in over a generation, the delivery of special education services within the LAUSD is not being overseen by an independent monitor. For the vast majority of parents whose children have special education needs, this is a period full of concern as they wait to see how the country’s second-largest school district will act without someone looking over their shoulders. However, when it comes to students with extreme needs, there was also hope that there will be an improvement in their relationship with the district.
Chanda Smith’s needs, which stemmed from her dyslexia diagnosis, were much different than those of children with severe intellectual and physical disabilities. This fact was ignored as the plaintiff’s lawyers and CONTINUE READING: Disregarding the Needs of the LAUSD’s Most Vulnerable Students