SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Thursday, the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for special education in Alpine and South Lake Tahoe’s school districts decided they will be moving forward with new bylaws and an application for the committee members.
Following an incident at the previous CAC meeting, this meeting was convened to address compliance with the California Department of Education and the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). Bill Roderick, who previously served as the SELPA director but is currently serving as interim superintendent at Alpine County, was present at the meeting.
Chairman Darrell Miller and Roderick discussed the SELPA administration making a concerted effort to address training for writing individualized education plans (IEPs). Previously, Jesse Kravchuk and Miller shared with the Tribune that many staff who could have benefited from the training were not made aware of it happening.
Miller also addressed that he had heard concerns around retaliation towards staff for issues they felt should be looked at. “We want to direct those staff members to talk to their union representatives.”
A union representative present at the meeting said that she was unsure about where those complaints were coming from, but noted that special education teachers could talk to the union.
The committee also discussed the current study and audit from School Services of California (SSC), which looks at the district’s special education program. Interviews with SSC will be taking place in the next few weeks.
Miller and Roderick collaborated on new bylaws for the CAC, which included that the CAC should set their own agenda, that the committee would have an odd number of members and that members would serve a two-year term with no limits. They also specified a non-retaliation clause and support for recording and online hosting of meetings to increase accessibility.
The bylaws also include a mechanism for a back and forth with the SELPA governance council, which require the council to respond within seven days to acknowledge submitted recommendations. Within a 30 day period, the council must state if they will accept, modify or reject recommendations or place the item on the next agenda.
The CAC created a new, simplified application form for the membership and officers of the CAC, but ultimately decided to elect new members after the board approved the bylaws and associated term-limits.
Miller will schedule another meeting with relevant parties to review the SELPA documentation together. He will likely continue to serve as the chairman, meaning he will sign off on the SELPA documentation for the California District of Education.
