CAC warns CNUSD inclusion rates lag, urges clearer evaluation and transparency

Randa Fletcher, chair of the district’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC), told the Corona-Norco Unified School District Board that the CAC’s year-end review showed inconsistent progress on inclusion for students with disabilities and recommended stronger transparency and evaluation tools before the district finalizes its local plan.

"We took all the data from every school site and compared it to last year's data," Fletcher said, reporting that of roughly 42 measured schools 18 increased their inclusion percentages, three stayed the same and 28 declined. She highlighted site-level improvements — Sierra Vista (+8.6 percentage points), Corona Fundamental (+14 points) and Lee Pard High (+16.8 points) — but said the districtwide picture left concern: "we increased inclusion across the district with a 37.5% success rate," language Fletcher used to describe the portion of sites that improved.

The CAC also raised financial and accountability concerns. The presenters said litigation fees and settlement spending tied to special education rose sharply in recent years, describing "about a 133% increase from ’21 to ’22 and then almost 38% from ’22 to ’23." Fletcher said CAC had requested a more objective, transparent rubric for evaluating the SELPA administrator and the director of special education and asked the board to hold off on signing the local plan until CAC receives clarifying information.

"This document is drafted by the SELPA administrator but it does need to be signed off by CAC," Fletcher said, asking for a meeting to "come back to the table and talk about the why" before final approval.

Board members pressed for clarity on definitions and measurement. Dr. Lisa Simon noted that inclusion is measured as minutes spent with non-disabled peers and asked the administration to provide a common definition and the operational language that will be used in reporting. Board members and staff said they are working on administrative regulations and district-wide evaluation tools tied to California standards for educational leaders; administrators said development and full implementation will take time.

Two members of the public linked to the CAC concerns during public comment. Alyssa Garcia described a family experience in which her disabled son was the subject of a police report and subsequent harassment online, and asked the board to require mandatory training "for teachers, substitutes and staff members on autism" including front-loading de-escalation and identity protection. "Inclusion matters—it benefits students with disabilities and neurotypical children in the classroom," Garcia said.

Jamie Merchant urged the board to reconsider reassigning Teachers on Special Assignment (TSAs) away from schools that rely on them, arguing that moving TSAs to support other sites risks undercutting gains at the schools that originally used those supports.

The report prompted a mix of support and requests for follow-up from board members, who asked administration to deliver the requested definitions, the proposed administrative regulation and a proposed rubric that would apply to the SELPA administrator and the director of special education. CAC representatives and board members said they will continue the discussion at a follow-up meeting and that additional information will be provided before any sign-off on the local plan.

The board did not take final action on the CAC recommendations at the meeting; presenters requested further dialogue and additional documentation before any vote.