Search Results for: Special Needs

Adopted March 1983 – Reviewed and deemed relevant May 2021 – Education Commission

California State PTA believes:

• All individuals with exceptional needs should receive a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment; this placement will include appropriate services ensuring access to the core curriculum, based on individual needs;
• Individualized Education Programs (IEP) should be developed on the basis of the needs of the individual student. The accurate assessment of each student’s English, native language, and academic skills is necessary to ensure placement in the program that best meets the educational needs of the students;
  • The goal of the IEP should be to provide each student with the academic, vocational and living skills necessary to be a productive and independent adult;
  • The IEP team should determine the appropriate program placement, necessary related services, and which curriculum options to offer;
  • The general education teacher should be part of the IEP team;
  • The school district or the county office of education should provide transportation necessary to meet individual needs as determined in the IEP;
• Parents have the right, obligation and responsibility to be fully involved prior to and throughout the entire process;
  • Parent permission must be secured before testing and for assessment evaluations or placement changes in the student’s program;
  • Parents must be notified in writing of and given every opportunity to attend all IEP meetings and reviews, and must receive a copy of the complete IEP;
• All teachers and school site personnel should be trained and sensitive to the special needs of exceptional students;
• Funding for non-educational needs of special education students should come from sources other than educational dollars. California State PTA further believes it is essential for the Legislature to appropriate adequate resources to fully fund all mandated special programs and services.

† See related position statement: Funding of Mandated Programs: Effect on Public Education. Also see summaries of related National PTA Position Statements: Education of Children With Disabilities–1994; Education for Handicapped Students–1991; Children with Special Needs–1989; Physical Education and Sports Programs for Children with Developmental Disabilities–1990. These are found under the Citizenship and Equality of Opportunity Section III Legislative/Advocacy of the Quick-Reference Guide from National PTA.

†† Transition is defined as the acquisition of skills necessary to develop the most independent and productive lifestyle an individual may be capable of achieving.

Adopted March 1989 – Reviewed and deemed relevant March 2012 – Community Concerns and Family Engagement Commissions – Revised August 2018

California State PTA believes that provision of quality child care is a shared responsibility of parents/guardians, providers, appropriate governmental agencies, business and industry, and the community at large. California State PTA also recognizes the need for a wide variety of programs and services to address the diverse child care needs of families throughout the state and the differing needs of children of various ages.

Studies have found that high quality child care programs have certain characteristics in common. These characteristics can help parents make better child care choices for their children because they indicate a much greater likelihood of high quality care. Quality indicators measure the conditions that generally foster a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment for children.

California State PTA believes that the minimum indicators of program quality include:

• A safe, secure, healthy, developmentally appropriate, and stimulating environment (home-, school-, or center-based) that enhances the physical, social-emotional, linguistic, cultural, creative and cognitive development of all enrolled children;
• A current, valid state child care provider license;
• Facilities appropriate to the type of care and ages of children, including adequate indoor and outdoor space as defined in state licensing requirements;
• Low child to teacher ratios and small group sizes fostering positive teacher/child interactions;
• Staff who are adequately trained in early childhood education and child development and who receive ongoing training;
• A policy that forbids the use of corporal punishment;
• A written description of programs and services that includes an explanation of developmental appropriateness of activities and materials made available to parents/guardians and concerned agencies;
• An open door policy for parents/guardians and opportunities for family engagement in all aspects of the program, including policy, administration and curriculum.

California State PTA supports:

• Uniform licensing standards for child care centers;
• Background and criminal checks on all personnel, volunteers, and any other adults who may reside in the facility;
• Strengthening of the state’s facility inspection program;
• Child care homes to have liability insurance or a bond covering injury to clients and guests;
• Crisis and natural disaster preparedness checklist given to all parents/guardians and posted at centers;
• Personnel of child day care facilities (day care centers, family day care homes and out of school youth centers) to have current certification in preventive health practices including pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and pediatric first aid;
• High standards for preparation and continuing education of child care teachers and providers, with the state taking a leadership role in providing educational programs for teachers and providers;
• Adequate salaries for child care providers in order to attract and maintain quality personnel;
• Tax incentives for employers to provide on-site or off-site child care and/or related options for employees, including flex time, job sharing and/or use of benefit packages;
• State and federal tax deduction credits for child care costs;
• Increased public and private funding for program improvements and expansions;
• Increased cooperation between government, community, agencies and business in providing for child care services that meet the unique needs of each community;
• Public policy at state and local levels that includes incentives for, and removes obstacles to, employer involvement in addressing the child care needs of working parents/guardians;
• State support of high quality child care, including a wide variety of program types and services;
• School- or community-based child care resource, referral and provider centers that:
  • Serve as referral agencies for child care services within the community;
  • Are resources to support and monitor providers; and
  • Ensure quality care for preschool and school-aged children including children with special needs;
• Monitoring of recreational programs to ensure quality, safety, and adequate supervision of children.

Adopted May 1987 – Revised November 2013 – Reviewed and deemed relevant May 2020 – Family Engagement Commission

Research shows that parenting – the process of rearing a child – requires skills and an appreciation of child development from infancy to adulthood. Understanding how to support the social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth of children positively impacts their lives and promotes student success.

When families, schools and communities work together to develop, support and offer parent education programs and skills development for parents and caregivers, children can thrive.

California State PTA believes that:

• Parenting is a challenging task for which there is often little preparation
• Comprehensive and accessible parenting education programs equip parents with more information, strategies and tools to support a child’s growth and development
• Training for adults should be offered through parent education programs and other resources in the community
• Parenting lessons should be a component of life-skills courses in middle and high school

Parenting education should include information, skills development and training on:

• Physical, intellectual, social and emotional aspects of child development and how to support a child’s growth from birth through adolescence to adulthood
• How to recognize, diagnose and treat special needs, including physical and learning disabilities, and how to collaboratively support special needs children
• Life skills including goal setting, decision-making and choices, responsibility, assertiveness and cooperation
• Roles and responsibilities necessary for a well-functioning family
• Strategies for effective communication within the family as well as with teachers and others involved in a child’s development
  
• Parents’ rights and responsibilities in their role as advocates for children in schools and in the community
• The California educational system, family-school partnerships and the benefits of family engagement to support student success

PTA has a responsibility to:

• Develop, support and offer parenting education programs and other parenting resources and tools to its members and the community at large
• Help educators understand and appreciate the value of parenting education
• Encourage schools to provide parenting skills education for students
• Promote family engagement and develop parent leaders to promote student success
• Support teacher training programs in parenting skills education
• Collaborate with other state and local parenting programs to make parenting resources readily available and accessible to the maximum number of families

Schools have a responsibility to:

• Implement research-based best practices in the area of family engagement
• Share information with parents on important topics such as programs, classroom practices, parental rights and responsibilities, mandated state testing, and school rules
• Engage parents as partners in the learning process through regular communication about their students’ performance, academic growth, assignments, expectations, and any areas of concern
• Provide workshops and programs that help parents build parenting skills and participate as advocates in the learning process

Adopted April 2011 – Reviewed and deemed relevant May 2020 – Family Engagement Commission

California State PTA believes that a successful future for all children can be ensured only by families, schools, local and state agencies working in partnership with one another. It is in the best interests of children and their educational success that families, organizations and government entities seek ways to reduce or eliminate barriers to parent involvement.

School practices that promote involvement through outreach, programs/operations, engagement, community building, and support services have a statistically significant and direct influence on student success. PTA can help schools build bridges that eliminate barriers to effective parent and community involvement.

There are also circumstantial barriers to effective involvement. Circumstantial barriers refer to conditions and situations that distress the family, which may temporarily or chronically inhibit or impede their ability to perform their engagement roles and responsibilities in the learning, development, and well-being of their children, thereby reducing benefits children might otherwise receive.

Barriers to involvement in the area of basic functioning may include, but are not limited to:

• Childcare issues
• Illiteracy/language skills
• Time demands/stress (i.e., work schedules, appointments, etc., e.g., single parent families, etc.)
• Crisis (i.e., death, job loss, divorce/separation, accident, homelessness,
• Lack of financial resources (poverty) (e.g., inability to pay for services, supplies, clothing, alarm clock, etc.)
• Lack of transportation/mobility
• Transient in station (i.e., migrant worker, military, etc.)

Barriers to involvement in the area of health (e.g., heath and development issues of the child or any immediate family member, diagnosed or undiagnosed, chronic or otherwise) include, but are not limited to:

• Illness
• Disability/special needs
• Lack of proper nutrition
• Lack of hygiene
• Lack of access to regular preventative healthcare
• Developmental issues
• Depression
• Psychological issues/mental illness

Barriers to involvement in the area of community concerns include, but are not limited to:

• Lack of community safety (i.e., traffic concerns, predators, gangs, etc., e.g., dangerous to walk to or from school)
• Litigation/lack of access to legal services
• Substance abuse/addiction
• Violence in the home
• Child abuse and neglect (child endangerment)
• Incarceration/court ordered restrictions
• Children in dependency or family court system

Since 1897, the PTA has been the voice of those families who felt disenfranchised. PTA must continue to be the voice for these families and reach out and understand the barriers that get in the way of families becoming involved. The National Standards for Family-School Partnership Implementation Guide provides the framework of how families, schools and communities should work together to support student success.

California State PTA believes that parents are a child’s first teachers and family engagement is essential throughout a child’s educational experience. Research has shown that greater parental involvement in children’s education results in higher levels of student achievement. The State of California has a parent involvement policy that states “Schools that undertake and support strong comprehensive parent involvement efforts are more likely to produce students who perform better than identical schools that do not involve parents.”

Adopted May 1972 – Reviewed and deemed relevant with amendments August 2022 – Education Commission

California State PTA recognizes the significant contribution to educational enrichment that is provided by both school library/media centers and oublic/community libraries. Both serve as centers for teaching many types of research skills as well as recreational purposes for children and adults.

School Library/Media Centers

School library/media centers implement and enhance the core curriculum and instructional program adopted by the school and, at the same time, provide for student enrichment and enjoyment. PTAs should work with schools/school districts to ensure that funding school library/media centers is given the priority necessary to maintain the level of services essential to each student’s educational experience.

California State PTA believes that every school library/media center should:

• Be staffed by qualified credentialed personnel who
  – Select appropriate materials and provide activities that support the instructional program;
  – Assist students and staff to become effective users of ideas and information; and
  – Work closely with staff, students and the parent community;

• Meet the needs of all students by teaching the research skills necessary to obtain specific information; and
• Maintain and update print and non-print collections and/or have access to existing information through the use of various technologies.

California State PTA believes that school library/media centers are important to student learning. When budget cuts cause the elimination of full-time credentialed librarian positions, PTAs are encouraged to make every effort to work with their school districts to seek alternative solutions to keep library/media centers open for students’ use.

Public/Community Libraries

California State PTA acknowledges the important role of public/community libraries. Public/community libraries supplement school library/media centers by providing broader services for students and by providing expanded opportunities for all children and adults to develop skills for life-long learning. PTAs should work to encourage every community to provide the necessary public and private funds for a total library service that will meet the needs of its population.

California State PTA believes that to provide the highest quality services for all, community libraries should:

• Identify and make available a broad array of services which will meet the needs of the community and keep the community informed about available services;
• Maintain and update print and non-print collections that meet community needs;
• Provide access to information through the use of various technologies;
• Identify and meet special needs within the community by providing qualified staff and selected resources that address these needs;
• Provide programs to eliminate adult illiteracy; and
• Ensure equal access to all services of the library such as special programs for young readers and services for the physically disabled.^†

† PTA is sensitive to the serious handicap to the person and family when an individual is unable to read. PTA actively supports school, public/community and library-based programs to eliminate adult illiteracy.

Adopted May 2013 – Community Concerns Commission – Revised August 2018

California State PTA believes stability is integral to a child’s quality of life and that the state has the primary responsibility for the well-being of children in foster care.

Every foster care child has the rights belonging to all children. Because society has temporarily or permanently separated them from their parents and other family members, society is responsible for providing special safeguards, resources, and care to all foster children.

California’s foster children are often bounced from placement to placement, and from school to school. This lack of stability often causes education-related problems, including a loss of school credits, interrupted academic progress, and delayed high school graduation.

California sets minimum high school graduation requirements for students. However, many school districts set graduation requirements beyond those required by the state.  A foster child relocated during high school can be faced with additional graduation requirements at the new school district and not have enough time to complete the additional courses and graduate on time.  California State PTA believes that foster youth with multiple high school placements should be afforded accommodations as necessary to be able to earn a high school diploma that falls short of local district course requirements but takes into account the courses taken by the student, and meets or exceeds state graduation requirements.

California State PTA supports the foster child Bill of Rights as listed in Welfare and Institutions Code (Section 16001.9). California State PTA believes that the foster family has the right:

• To live in a safe, healthy, and comfortable home where they are treated with respect;
• To be free from physical, sexual, emotional, or other abuse, or corporal punishment;
• Not to be subject to police custody or arrest for ‘normal’ domestic disturbances;
• To receive adequate and healthy food, adequate clothing, and, for children in group homes, an adequate allowance;
• To receive timely, high quality medical, dental, vision, and mental health services;
• To be free of forced use of medication or chemical substances, unless authorized by a licensed physician;
• To freely contact family members, unless prohibited by court order:
• To freely contact social workers, attorneys, foster youth advocates and supporters, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and probation officers;
• To visit and contact brothers and sisters, unless prohibited by court order;
• To contact the Community Care Licensing Division of the State Department of Social Services or the State Foster Care Ombudsperson regarding violations of rights, to speak to representatives of these offices confidentially, and to be free from threats or punishment for requesting this access or making complaints;
• To make and receive confidential telephone calls and send and receive unopened mail, unless prohibited by court order;
• To attend religious services and activities of their choice;
• To maintain an emancipation bank account and manage personal income, consistent with the child’s age and developmental level, unless prohibited by the case plan;
• Not to be locked in any room, building, or facility premises, unless placed in a community treatment facility;
• To attend school and participate in extracurricular, cultural, and personal enrichment activities, consistent with the child’s age and developmental level;
• To work and develop job skills at an age-appropriate level that is consistent with state law;
• To have social contacts with people outside of the foster care system, such as teachers, church members, mentors, and friends;
• To attend Independent Living Program classes and activities beginning when they meet age requirements;
• To attend their own court hearings and speak to the judge;
• To have storage space for personal possessions;
• To review their own case plan when they reach 12 years of age and to receive information about their out-of-home placement and case plan, including being consulted on changes to the plan;
• To be free from unreasonable searches of their persons or belongings;
• To the confidentiality of all of their juvenile court records consistent with existing law;
• To have fair and equal access to all available services, placement, care, treatment, and benefits, and not to be subjected to discrimination or harassment on the basis of actual or perceived race, ethnic group identification, ancestry, national origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental or physical disability, or HIV status; and
• Beginning at 16 years of age, to have access to existing information regarding the educational options available, including, but not limited to, the coursework necessary for vocational and postsecondary educational programs, and information regarding financial aid for postsecondary education.

The California State PTA believes that foster families have the right:

• To be treated with dignity, respect, trust, and consideration as a primary provider of foster care and as a member of the professional team caring for foster children;
• To be provided a current explanation and understanding of the role of the Child Welfare department and the approved role of the members of the child’s birth family in the child’s foster care with updates as the case plan evolves;
• To continue their own family values and routines; that every effort will be made by the Child Welfare department to work with the family to place a child who can participate in and benefit from established family customs and routines;
• To be provided training and support by the Child Welfare department for the purpose of improving skills in providing daily care and meeting the special needs of the child in foster care;
• To be provided training by the Child Welfare department for obtaining support and information concerning a full understanding of the rights and responsibilities of the foster parent(s);
• To review, prior to placement, written information concerning the child and to have a voice in determining if such child would be a proper placement for the prospective foster family. For emergency placements where time does not allow prior review of such information, the Child Welfare department shall provide information as it becomes available;
• To obtain all biographical and medical information on a child prior to or at the time of placement;
• To refuse placement of a child in the foster home or request the removal of the child from the foster home without reprisal;
• To obtain timely financial reimbursement;
• To help plan visitation with a child’s parents and siblings;
• To receive notice of Child Welfare department plans or court proceedings affecting a child’s placement;
• To have priority consideration when a foster child becomes available for adoption, and;
• To be provided a fair and timely investigation of foster home complaints and an ability to appeal decisions of the placement board.

Adopted May 1966 – Reviewed and deemed relevant November 2022 – Health & Community Concerns Commission

California State PTA believes that children should not be deprived or penalized because of the family situation in which they live.

California State PTA supports:

• Coordination of health, welfare and educational services to meet family needs;
• Programs that provide education and training to enhance parenting skills to meet the needs of individual families;
• Services that enable children with special needs to take advantage of all educational opportunities;
• Services for children whose parents or caregivers are incapacitated or temporarily absent from the home, who have been separated from their families or caregivers;
• Programs and services for individuals and families who are touched by the juvenile justice and foster care systems; and
• Full funding for mandated programs.

California State PTA believes every child has the right to be provided the opportunity to become a self-respecting, contributing member of society.

Adopted January 1989 – Revised February 2014 – Reviewed and deemed relevant May 2020 – Education Commission

California State PTA recognizes that young adolescents have special needs. Early adolescence is a time of rapid physical, emotional, social, and intellectual changes. These years serve as a transition, the vital link between childhood and older adolescence.

California State PTA believes that schools for the middle grades must:

• Address the personal developmental needs of adolescent students in order to open the way for academic achievement and to provide a successful transition from elementary to middle grades to high school
• Have a commitment to and a sincere concern for its students;
• Create a student centered environment where staff encourages each individual student to feel a sense of connectedness to the school;
• Provide students access to high quality, standards-based core curriculum;
• Provide a nurturing environment with ready access to counseling;
• Create and sustain a safe and healthy school environment; and
• Create opportunities for families to support the learning process at home and at school.

PTA further believes there are certain components that are essential to middle grade educational programs including, but not limited to:

• A configuration that groups grades 6, 7, and 8 or the creation of a “school-within-a-school” for those grades;
• A daily schedule that allows for blocks of instructional time to accommodate interdisciplinary team teaching and the integration of core curriculum subjects in groupings with instruction that meets the academic needs of all students;
• A credentialed staff (teachers, counselors and administrators) which
  • Is committed to working with middle grade students;
  • Is qualified to teach young adolescents and who has been specially prepared for assignments to the middle grades;
  • Implements instructional programs that enhance the intellectual and emotional development of all students.
• A variety of staff development options to enable teachers to learn teaching strategies that have proven effective with students of this age group;
• A comprehensive and flexible guidance/counseling plan to help students, with involvement of their parents, develop career and educational goals that is developed with students and their parents;
• A student advisement program, in addition to program counseling services, that provides students a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult throughout the middle grade years to assure continuity in providing advice on academic, personal and peer-relationship matters; and
• A strong parent education/involvement program designed to
  • Help parents understand the physical, social, and intellectual needs of young adolescent students, and how the school may assist in meeting these needs;
  • Assist parents to understand the importance of the development of an educational plan that ensures academic growth and a successful transition from school-to-work;
  • Give parents meaningful roles in school governance;
  • Communicate with families about the school program and students’ progress; and

PTA further believes that all education stakeholders are accountable for ensuring every child has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential.

Adopted March 2003 – Reviewed and deemed relevant May 2021 – Education Commission

California State PTA believes charter schools have a valid place in our public school system, because they can provide K-12 students and parents with expanded choices in educational opportunities and may serve as laboratories for programs that can be replicated in other public schools. Public charter schools are most successful when proposed, developed and evaluated in the communities they serve. PTA recognizes that sufficient resources, including facilities, must be provided to charter school students, and to the chartering entity responsible for oversight of charter school performance.

PTA further believes that charter schools must not be operated by for-profit organizations, nor be affiliated with a nonpublic, religious, or home-based school.

PTA believes a charter school must:

• Be located within the same jurisdiction as its chartering district or county office of education.
• Provide a healthy and safe learning environment for all children.
• Not discriminate against any pupil on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, gender, ability or disability, sexual orientation, language or socio-economic status, or immigration status.
• Be publicly funded in a manner that is equitable to and does not reduce resources, on a per pupil basis, for other public schools in the chartering entity.
• Be held fiscally and academically accountable to the parents and community by the local chartering entity.
• Be subject to the same conflict of interest laws that bind other public school.
• Be located in facilities that meet state school building code standards and be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Provide a curriculum that is aligned to the California state academic content standards and offers at least the number of instructional minutes as required by the California State Education Code, and require students to meet the state’s minimum requirements for graduation.
• Follow all state and federal assessment and reporting requirements and be held to or exceed the same standards of academic accountability as all other public schools.
• Belong to a Special Education Local Planning Area (SELPA) for special education funding purposes and provide special needs students with all services as set forth in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 accommodations.
• Hire teachers and administrators who meet the same credentialing requirements as those in other California public schools.
• Encourage effective teacher preparation and ongoing professional development.
• Involve parents in meaningful decision-making.
• Maintain current student records, make student records available for inspection by parents and the chartering entity, ensure records follow a student who withdraws or is expelled from a charter school, and notify the chartering entity when a student leaves the charter school for any reason.

Adopted February 1998 – Reviewed and deemed relevant November 2022 – Health & Community Concerns Commission

California State PTA believes that children are our most important natural resource, that the family is the basic unit of society responsible for the support and nurturing of children. Families come in many shapes and sizes. This includes but is not limited to children, parents, including legal and foster, grandparents, extended family, spouses, domestic partners, siblings, and close friends. Every effort must be made to ensure that public policies concur with the best interest of children and families. California State PTA further believes that society has a responsibility to establish policies that ensure effective community services and assistance programs when necessary for families in need. These programs should be structured and delivered in ways that contribute to the integrity and long-term stability of families and to ensure that children will have adequate support to meet their basic needs.

California State PTA supports government assistance programs intended to help families survive a temporary crisis and protect children from the extreme effects of poverty. California State PTA believes that government has the responsibility to plan and coordinate these programs for families in need, establishing a clear definition of responsibility at each level of government and adhering to governmental fiscal responsibility, but keeping foremost the priorities of children and youth.

California State PTA believes that to be effective in assisting families to become and remain self-sufficient, programs to help families in need of government assistance must include at least the following:

• Job training, job placement and job creation
  • Train and place recipients in job-related programs so they may become self-sufficient;
  • Promote opportunities for teenage parents to complete basic education programs;
  • Provide access to community and adult education, career technical schools and job training programs that meet the needs of the highly-skilled technological workplace;
  • Coordinate community employment resources for job development;
  • Require accountability by families in relation to work, training and education;

• Coordination of health and welfare programs and needed support services
  • Affordable, quality child care that provides flexible hours and guarantees payment to licensed providers until parents transition from assistance to work;
  • Reliable public or private transportation for access to services and employment;
  • A health care system that provides equal access to quality, affordable, basic preventative health care and adequate support services within the field of mental health and guidance;
  • Enforced collection and distribution of legally awarded child support payments;
  • Provision for safe and affordable housing;
  • Adequate nutritional services to prevent health and learning problems associated with malnutrition and hunger;
  • A free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment and funding for non-educational requirements of all individuals with special needs;

• Eligibility requirements
  • Reasonable and flexible time limits that enable families to become self-supporting;
  • Statewide policies that encourage families to stay together when in the best interest of their children and that remove obstacles which eliminate two parent families from eligibility;
  • A system that provides a basic level of existence and does not penalize working families.

California State PTA believes that programs to assist families in need should include a safety net for individuals who do not meet established criteria for assistance to ensure that all children who reside in California have a right of access to a quality education, adequate food and shelter, and basic health services.