Featured

Special Ed Classes Being Disrupted with No Clear Notification of What Comes Next, Say School District Parents and Teachers

Published

10 years ago

April 14, 2016

Parents and teachers are raising concerns that they are being kept in the dark until the last minute about what they consider to be a disruptive overhaul of the Oakland Unified School District’s (OUSD) special education programs for students with disabilities.

The district is moving services and transferring students to new schools and announced it has sent March 15 warning letters that it may reassign top administrators and mid-level supervisors of the special education department.

The changes have been in the works for about two years for the 5,500 OUSD students with mild, moderate and severe disabilities – nearly 15 percent of the district’s student body.

Parents in the Dark

Parents are worried the changes are already being implemented, but they and the teachers do not know specifically how the district will change the education of their children next year.

They have spoken to school board members, who also say they also do not know what changes are in store.

Kristen Zimmerman, a parent of a fifth grader in special education, said she did not fully realize that big changes were underway until she contacted an administrator to ask about middle school placements for her child.

“I was told they don’t have any idea about what programs there will be next year, and so I cannot look at the programs,” she said.

Without publishing many details, the district is promoting a goal of “inclusion” of many special education students in general education classes and plans to move programs at specific schools, dispersing them to school sites around the city.

Under the superintendent’s work plan, which was discussed at this week’s school board meeting, an Inclusion Task Force was supposed to kick off in January 2015, hosting a “listening campaign and engagements.”

Silvia Matta, another special education parent, said she is upset the changes seem to involve the removal from the program of qualified and experienced special education administrators.

“My son is 15 now, and he has been in the program since he was 3,” she said. “I feel for the first time they have very solid, grounded people. They are really there for kids. They are very responsive to the parents.”

But with the changes that are under way, she asked: “What’s going to happen to the department, and who is going to take over?”

The district plan calls for the creation of 10 new inclusion schools, which will begin functioning in the fall. Specific “class size, staffing, funding, materials, etc.” for the new sites are being developed between March and August of this year.

A number of parents have received letters in the last week saying their children will be moved to one of the new schools in the fall.

Some details were published in the last few days as the administration planned to discuss some of the changes but are not calling for a vote on them at this week’s school board meeting.

“Dramatic changes are happening without any communication with families, staff or the community,” said Inga Wagar, a voting member of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), who has attended nearly every meeting of the committee.

“There is little to no information available, with merely conceptual presentations made about ‘inclusion’ and a complete absence of plans to be vetted with the affected members of the community and the CAC,” Wagar said.

Under the special education law, the CAC is supposed to be kept informed and involved in changes that impact special ed services.

“Some families have been told through a letter that their children will be moved to new schools next year, others have not,” said Wagar.

She said the district is talking about putting many students with disabilities in general education classes.

This inclusion may be good in some cases, but has to be done based on each student’s needs, as documented in their legally mandated Individualized Education Program (IEP).

In addition, there need to be appropriate resources, including adequate numbers of qualified support staff, as well as in-depth training for general education teachers so that they can effectively support students with special needs, she said.

“How many kids receiving special education will be in each classroom and what will support look like? How is the staff going to be serving the students? What are the resources?” she asked.

District Supports “Inclusion” of Special Ed Students

In a statement to the school community released last August, Supt. Antwan Wilson said that including special education students in regular education classes is an equity issue.

These programs should be viewed through an “equity lens,” he said.

“Special education students are general education students first, and … legally and morally they should be educated in the least restrictive environment. This means they should be educated with appropriate support, in general education classrooms so they can grow academically and socially with their peers.”

“An Inclusion Policy is the next step in our effort to better serve the needs of all of our students,” he said.

According to Devin Dillon, OUSD Chief Academic Officer, the changes have been developed with the participation of national experts.

“OUSD commissioned the Council of Great City Schools to conduct a review of Special Education services in Oakland,” she said. This report has not been released to the public.

“The review included an analysis of multiple sources of data and interviews with multiple stakeholder groups over the course of several days. While the full review will take a few months for the council to produce and make public, they shared some initial structural recommendations for changes to the way OUSD delivers special education services.”

She said, “The special education program will be aligned differently next year, restructured, but there will be no fewer positions than there currently are. Job duties and assignments may change, even titles, but not the number of positions.”

Members of the CAC also said the head of special education is retiring, but more than 200 people have signed a petition saying they believe she has been forced out.

Members of the CAC were told that other top administrators “had received pink slips” and the positions of program specialists were being eliminated.

However, administrator Dillon said that is not the case.

“Special Education staff received March 15 letters,” she said. “These are not ‘layoff letters’ but instead notice of possible reassignment to other positions.”

“The positions may not be the exact same in terms of title and scope of responsibilities, but each leader who was issued the March 15 letter is being considered for new positions for which they qualify,” Dillon said.

In addition, she said, program specialists will be retained within the district.

“OUSD is in the process of meeting with employees now to determine how each individual program specialist will continue to be of service to students, families and schools,” she said. “We greatly value this role and their level of expertise and would like to retain our program specialists.”

Dillon explained how the district views the changes it is making.

“We are planning a phased approach to bring schools in OUSD in line with a more inclusive approach to instruction,” she said.

“We are adding 10 new schools to the 17 schools in Oakland who have inclusive practices for students with special needs. The schools (are) engaged in an “Inclusion Task Force” over the last two months and for the first time had training on how to support inclusive practices,” said Dillon.

“This is not a model of support for every child with an IEP,” she said.

Dillon said the programs are being moved to make them more convenient for families.

“(The district wants) to ensure quality programs closest to a student’s home… (to) avoid having long bus rides to and from school.”

She emphasized the district’s commitment to working closely with families.

“Each family and school site has been consulted, and support is available for families who are being offered a new placement for next year. In all cases, the needs of the student and family are considered first.”

In addition, she said, “We are creating a plan to add more resource teachers to our schools in order to accommodate student needs who have IEPs and spend the majority of their day in general education settings now.”

She said the district has a contract with the teachers’ union that requires “no more than two students with IEPs placed in an inclusion classroom at one time.”

The union and OUSD “are working together to determine compliance with this clause,” she said.

The district and parent leaders seem to have widely divergent views on whether teachers and parents have been kept informed or allowed to have input before decisions have been made.

“The CAC has been informed and engaged through their regular monthly meetings,” Dillon said. “An online survey was posted to provide wider input to community and stakeholders, including teachers, to give input on the qualities the next leader (of special education) should have. These forms of engagement … have taken place recently and throughout the year.”

“Students are not valued,” says special ed teacher

A special education teacher at Edna Brewer Middle School, Ishmael Armendariz, questions why students and families are being notified by letter that they are being moved.

“Our parents just learned about this last week – by mail,” said Armendariz, a member of the teachers’ union executive board.

“They don’t change general education students just randomly. That really bothers me. It shows how our students are not valued in this district. It’s very disrespectful to the parents and the kids. They’re just expendable.”

Armendariz also challenges whether the district will produce greater equity by breaking up excellent programs that work and spreading them to schools that do not have resources and are unprepared to receive the students.

At present, students from around the city are bussed to schools that provide services that are required by their learning programs (IEPs).

“Is it equitable that the district is looking at a map and demographics of special education to spread things equally across the district? Or is it equitable to have teachers who provide services and a place where the kids are welcomed?” asked Armendariz.

“It is not equitable to move students to school sites where the teachers know nothing about students with special needs and have no experience welcoming them and loving them, where they do not have crayons or paper for printers and in general are not well resourced,” he said.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Disproportionate Numbers of Blacks and Latinos Lose Driver’s Licenses Because Of Unpaid Tickets

Don't Miss

Op-Ed: Setting the Record Straight on OUSD Principal Transitions

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Advice

Support Your Child’s Mental Health: Medi-Cal Covers Therapy, Medication, and More

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Shutterstock.

Advertorial

When children struggle emotionally, it can affect every part of their lives — at home, in school, with friends, and even their physical health. In many Black families, we’re taught to be strong and push through. But our kids don’t have to struggle alone. Medi-Cal provides mental health care for children and youth, with no referral or diagnosis required.

Through California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), the state is transforming how care is delivered. Services are now easier to access and better connected across mental health, physical health, and family support systems. CalAIM brings care into schools, homes, and communities, removing barriers and helping children get support early, before challenges escalate.

Help is Available, and it’s Covered

Under Medi-Cal, every child and teen under age 19 has the right to mental health care. This includes screenings, therapy, medication support, crisis stabilization, and help coordinating services. Parents, caregivers, and children age 12 or older can request a screening at any time, with no diagnosis or referral required.

Medi-Cal’s Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Program

For children and youth with more serious mental health needs, including those in foster care or involved in the justice system, Medi-Cal offers expanded support, including:

Family-centered and community-based therapy to address trauma, behavior challenges, or system involvement.
Wraparound care teams that help keep children safely at home or with relatives.
Activity funds that support healing through sports, art, music, and therapeutic camps.
Initial joint behavioral health visits, where a mental health provider and child welfare worker meet with the family early in a case.
Child welfare liaisons in Medi-Cal health plans who help caregivers and social workers get services for children faster

Keeping Kids Safe from Opioids and Harmful Drugs

DHCS is also working to keep young people safe as California faces rising risks from opioids and counterfeit pills. Programs like Elevate Youth California and Friday Night Live give teens mentorship, leadership opportunities, and positive outlets that strengthen mental well-being.

Through the California Youth Opioid Response, families can learn how to avoid dangerous substances and get treatment when needed. Song for Charlie provides parents and teens with facts and tools to talk honestly about mental health and counterfeit pills.

DHCS also supports groups like Young People in Recovery, which helps youth build skills for long-term healing, and the Youth Peer Mentor Program, which trains teens with lived experience to support others. These efforts are part of California’s strategy to protect young people, prevent overdoses, and help them make healthier choices.

Support for Parents and Caregivers

Children thrive when their caregivers are supported. Through CalAIM’s vision of whole-person care, Medi-Cal now covers dyadic services, visits where a child and caregiver meet together with a provider to strengthen bonding, manage stress, and address behavior challenges.

These visits may include screening the caregiver for depression or anxiety and connecting them to food, housing, or other health-related social needs, aligning with CalAIM’s Community Supports framework. Notably, only the child must be enrolled in Medi-Cal to receive dyadic care.

Family therapy is also covered and can take place in clinics, schools, homes, or via telehealth, reflecting CalAIM’s commitment to flexible, community-based care delivery.

Additionally, BrightLife Kids offers free tools, resources, and virtual coaching for caregivers and children ages 0–12. Families can sign up online or through the BrightLife Kids app. No insurance, diagnosis, or referral is required.

For teens and young adults ages 13–25, California offers Soluna, a free mental health app where young people can chat with coaches, learn coping skills, journal, or join supportive community circles. Soluna is free, confidential, available in app stores, and does not require insurance.

CalHOPE also provides free emotional support to all Californians through a 24/7 support line at (833) 317-HOPE (4673), online chat, and culturally responsive resources.

Support at School — Where Kids Already Are

Schools are often the first place where emotional stress is noticed. Through the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), public schools, community colleges, and universities can offer therapy, counseling, crisis support, and referrals at no cost to families.

Services are available during school breaks and delivered on campus, by phone or video, or at community sites. There are no copayments, deductibles, or bills.

Medi-Cal Still Covers Everyday Care

Medi-Cal continues to cover everyday mental health care, including therapy for stress, anxiety, depression, or trauma; medication support; crisis stabilization; hospital care when needed; and referrals to community programs through county mental health plans and Medi-Cal health plans.

How to Get Help

Talk to your child’s teacher, school counselor, or doctor.
In Alameda County call 510-272-3663 or the toll-free number 1-800-698-1118 and in San Francisco call 855-355-5757 to contact your county mental health plan to request an assessment or services.
If your child is not enrolled in Medi-Cal, you can apply at com or my.medi-cal.ca.gov.
In a mental health emergency, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Every child deserves to grow up healthy and supported. Medi-Cal is working to transform care so it’s accessible, equitable, and responsive to the needs of every family.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Ann Lowe: The Quiet Genius of American Couture

Lowe was born in Clayton, Alabama, into a family of gifted seamstresses. Her mother and grandmother were well-known dressmakers who created exquisite gowns for women in the area. By the time Lowe was a young girl, she was already showing extraordinary talent — cutting, sewing, and decorating fabric with a skill that far exceeded her age. When her mother died unexpectedly, Lowe – only 16 years old then – took over her mother’s sewing business, completing all the orders herself.

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Photo courtesy of National Archives.

By Tamara Shiloh

Ann Cole Lowe, born Dec.14, 1898, was a pioneering American fashion designer whose extraordinary talent shaped some of the most widely recognized and celebrated gowns in U.S. history.

Although she designed dresses for society’s wealthiest families and created masterpieces worn at historic events, Lowe spent much of her life in the shadows — uncredited, underpaid, yet unmatched in skill. Today, she is celebrated as one of the first nationally recognized African American fashion designers and a true visionary in American couture.

In 1917, Lowe moved to New York City to study at the S.T. Taylor Design School. Although she was segregated from White students and forced to work separately, she, of course, excelled, graduating earlier than expected. Her instructors quickly recognized that her abilities were far above the typical student, especially her skill in hand-sewing, applique, and intricate floral embellishment – techniques that would become her signature.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, she designed gowns for high-society women in Florida and New York, operating boutiques and working for prestigious department stores. Her reputation for craftsmanship, originality, and elegance grew increasingly. She was known for creating gowns that moved beautifully, featured delicate hand-made flowers, and looked sculpted rather than sewn. Many wealthy clients specifically requested “an Ann Lowe gown” for weddings, balls, and galas.

Her most famous creation came in 1953: the wedding gown worn by Jacqueline Bouvier when she married Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy. The dress – crafted from ivory silk taffeta with dozens of tiny, pleated rosettes – became one of the most photographed bridal gowns in American history. Despite this achievement, Lowe received no public credit at the time. When a flood destroyed her completed gowns 10 days before the wedding, she and her seamstresses worked day and night to remake everything – at her own expense. Her dedication and perfectionism never wavered.

She eventually opened “Ann Lowe Originals,” her own salon on New York’s Madison Avenue. She served clients such as the Rockefellers, DuPonts, Vanderbilts, and actresses like Olivia de Havilland. Yet even with her wealthy clientele, she struggled financially, often undercharging because she wanted every dress to be perfect, even if it meant losing money.

Lowe’s contributions were finally recognized later in life. Today, her exquisite gowns are preserved in museums, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In the last five years of her life, Lowe lived with her daughter Ruth in Queens, N.Y. She died at her daughter’s home on Feb. 25, 1981, at the age of 82, after an extended illness.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Black Women’s Think Tank Founder Kellie Todd Griffin

As the president and CEO of the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, Griffin is on a mission to shift the narrative and outcomes for Black women and girls. She founded the nation’s first Black Women’s Think Tank, securing $5 million in state funding to fuel policy change.

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Kellie Todd Griffin. CBM file photo.

By Edward Henderson
California Black Media

With more than 25 years of experience spanning public affairs, community engagement, strategy, marketing, and communications, Kellie Todd Griffin is recognized across California as a leader who mobilizes people and policy around issues that matter.

Griffin spoke with California Black Media (CBM) about her successes and setbacks in 2025 and her hopes for 2026.

Looking back at 2025, what stands out to you as your most important achievement and why? 

Our greatest achievement in this year is we got an opportunity to honor the work of 35 Black women throughout California who are trailblazing the way for the next generation of leaders.

How did your leadership, efforts and investments as president and CEO California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians? 

We’re training the next leaders. We have been able to train 35 women over a two-year period, and we’re about to start a new cohort of another 30 women. We also have trained over 500 middle and high school girls in leadership, advocacy, and financial literacy.

What frustrated you the most over the last year?

Getting the question, “why.” Why advocate for Black women? Why invest in Black people, Black communities? It’s always constantly having to explain that, although we are aware that there are other populations that are in great need, the quality-of-life indices for Black Californians continue to decrease. Our life expectancies are decreasing. Our unhoused population is increasing. Our health outcomes remain the worst.

We’re not asking anyone to choose one group to prioritize. We are saying, though, in addition to your investments into our immigrant brothers and sisters – or our religious brothers and sisters – we are also asking you to uplift the needs of Black Californians. That way, all of us can move forward together.

What inspired you the most over the last year?

I’ve always been amazed by the joy of Black women in the midst of crisis.

That is really our secret sauce. We don’t let the current state of any issue take our joy from us. It may break us a little bit. We may get tired a little bit. But we find ways to express that – through the arts, through music, through poetry.

What is one lesson you learned in 2025 that will inform your decision-making next year?

Reset. It’s so important not to be sitting still. We have a new administration. We’re seeing data showing that Black women have the largest unemployment rate. We’ve lost so many jobs. We can have rest – we can be restful – but we have to continue the resistance.

In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians faced in 2025?

Motivation.

I choose motivation because of the tiredness. What is going to motivate us to be involved in 2026?

What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2026?

I want to get Black Californians in spaces and places of power and influence – as well as opportunities to thrive economically, socially, and physically.