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Community Leaders and Parents Statewide Urge the Governor to Stop State Board of Education Actions January 8, 2002 More than 50 educators and community leaders from throughout California sent a letter to Governor Davis= office today urging him to stop what they characterized as a continuous and Arelentless assaultYby the State Board of Education and its staff against the educational rights of Latino, Asian Pacific Islander and immigrant students.@ A copy of the letter is attached. The State Board of Education is scheduled to vote on a number of matters impacting services to English Learner students at its regularly scheduled meeting in Sacramento this Wednesday and Thursday, January 9-10, 2002. These matters include: (1) adoption of educational materials not aligned to State ELD standards; (2) adoption of regulations concerning the redesignation of English Learner students that fails to ensure that students are adequately assessed and to ensure that minimum and consistent criteria are utilized statewide; (3) adoption of revised regulations implementing Prop. 227's parent option provisions in a way that significantly restricts parents= right to choose; and 4) the modifications that would eliminate two critical elements of the California English Language Development Test . Parents of children impacted by these policies are traveling from across California to testify at the January 10th State Board meeting in Sacramento to protest its proposed actions. Hundreds of parents have already signed petitions which will be presented at the State Board meeting opposing the proposed parental exception waiver regulations. A similar statewide outcry erupted in the summer when language was inserted into SB 347, which would have eliminated the only funding specifically earmarked to meet the needs of LEP children at the district level and eliminated the long-standing requirement that schools and school districts establish immigrant parent advisory committees. The Governor responded to concerns raised by members of the Latino Legislative Caucus, parents and community leaders by vetoing that bill. The Latino Legislative Caucus sent a letter to the State Board of Education asking that the Board postpone acting on the policies impacting parental rights, textbooks and the testing of LEP students to allow the Caucus to meet and better understand the pending proposals. Parents join with the Caucus in requesting a postponement of these four items so the parents can give input to the Caucus, the State Board and the Governor regarding issues of critical importance to the educational future of their children.
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