Need teacher/principal input on class action against CDE

[Jo Ann Behm <jobehm@behmer.us>]

Hello Folks-  [Feel free to share & forward]

As most know, Morrison and Foerster has filed in SF Superior Court on Feb 8,
2005 [Valenzuela v. J. O'Connell, CDE, CA Board of Education] on behalf of
all other Class of 2006 seniors [other than special ed/Section 504 seniors
exempted via Chapman & SB 517] who stand to be irreparably harmed and denied
a multitude of post-secondary education, financial aid, and sustainable
workforce options purely because the State says the only thing that really
matters are scores on a high stakes test--the CAHSEE.    Our seniors and
their families and teachers and friends and siblings and grandparents are
facing this train wreck because of O'Connell's rigid and reprehensible
insensitivity---probably because he wrote the original CAHSEE legislation
and has political hopes for year 2010].

There I go off again.  Sorry.

What I need as of yesterday are brave teachers and principals and
administrators [you are not alone] who ask first, before making broad, harsh
education/policy decisions at you local site or bigger levels...²How will my
decision or action effect the child or children/students I am here [on this
planet] to teach and inspire and mentor???²

I know many of you are out there and on this listserv.  If you are aware of
specific problems impacting the likelihood of passing the CAHSEE in time to
graduate of a single student or class [English/math], or subgroup, or those
in at-risk programs, etc.---conditions for which these senior graduation
hopefuls have absolutely no control---please contact the Mo-Fo attorney,
Chris Young asap.

Mo-Fo is particularly interested in circumstances brought forth in the
Williams settlement and schools.  Lack of qualified teachers [math, English,
ESL], teacher turn-over, lacking texts and classroom or school resources,
shoddy facilities, remediation/how it¹s working, lack of consisten help for
EL/special program students, and sacrifice due to of monotonous focus on
CAHSEE at expense of a meaningful learning of transferable skills and
electives/extracurricular.

Every student in this class action has to be extraordinarily brave to face
the upcoming grilling by attorneys from the State Attorney General¹s Office
?representing¹ O¹Connell and CDE/SBE.  The very least we can do as parents
and teachers and principals is stand by them and use their bravery to guide
our decisions.

Chris Young, Esq
415-268-7027  [direct line]
415-268-7522 [fax]
email:  cyoung@mofo.com

If for some reason, you would rather punt information to me, I will take it
to Mo-Fo.

If you can join me tomorrow Wed. March 8 at 9:00 a.m. at the SBE meeting at
CDE in Sacramento, the long overdue CAHSEE ?options¹ for seniors will be
discussed----even though O¹Connell already introduced his own unilateral ³no
options-option² California Education Code Section 60856, part of the CAHSEE
statutes, states:  After adoption and the initial administrations of the
high school exit examination the State Board of Education, in consultation
with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, shall study the
appropriateness of other criteria by which high school pupils who are
regarded as highly proficient but unable to pass the high school exit
examination may demonstrate their competency and receive a high school
diploma. 

So far, O¹Connell has ignored this requirement & came out with his very own
version of options at his solo press conference Jan. 6 virtually ignoring
recommendations from at least 30-40 sources who provided public written and
verbal input on alternatives Dec 15, 2005--

The State [which seems to boil down to one person] is required to listen
none the less and should have acted on this duty years ago, not three months
before the graduation axe falls on still 75,000 to 80,000 seniors [even
after 25,000 spared by Chapman settlement].

Bless you,  Jo


------------------------
Jo Rupert Behm, M.S., RN
State and Federal Health and Education Public Policy Consultant
Council Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) Government Affairs
LDA National Healthy Children's Project Advisory Committee
Collaborative on Health and the Environment-LDDI Workgroup
Phone:  415-897-2426
FAX:    415-897-8115
email:  jobehm@behmer.us


"Convincing Grown-ups to Enact Responsible Policy and Legislation When
Deciding the Future of Children"  JRB January, '04