This year, I am chairing the Special Education Committee of the Board of Education.
The purpose of the Special Education Committee is to inform parents, the school community, and others about the Los Angeles Unified Special Education Local Planning Area’s (SELPA’s) work on behalf of students with disabilities (which includes Independent Charter Schools that belong to the LAUSD SELPA).
The Committee will address the following questions:
- How does the District identify, locate, and evaluate students who may have a disability?
- What is an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and how is it developed to address a child’s individualized needs?
- How does the District meet its responsibility to ensure that parents have meaningful participation in the IEP process so that families are included?
- How can parents join the District in advocating for adequate resources and policy changes at the federal and state level to better serve all students?
When: Meetings will take place the 2nd Thursday of every other month.
2021-22 Meeting Dates
When: Meetings will take place the 2nd Thursday of every other month.
· September 9, 2021
· November 4, 2021 (1st Thursday)*
· January 13, 2022
· March 10, 2022
· May 12, 2022
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
2021-22 Committee Members
Committee Members
Mr. Scott M. Schmerelson, Chairperson
Ms. Jackie Goldberg, Board Member
Dr. George J. McKenna, III, Board Member
District Members
Deneen Cox, Chief Compliance and Performance Monitoring Counsel
Dr. Larisa Crookston, Director Related Services
Oscar Rodriguez, Coordinating Specialist, Operations
External Representatives
Charlotte Buchanan, District Employee
Jose Calderon, Parent & Community Member
Manuel Carrasco, Parent
Kelley Coleman, Parent
Fabiola Contreras, Parent
Vanessa Frnzyan, District Teacher
Tiffaniy Gardner, Parent with ROSLA
Elizabeth Thomas-Parker, Vice President, SEIU Local 99
Charity F. Johnson, Parent
Ashli Lambkins, Parent
Gloria Martinez, UTLA
Daniel Miller, District Employee
Alberta Moore, Parent
Marta Munoz, District Employee
Griselda Sandoval, Parent
Jolan Smith, Assistant Professor CSULB
Shalita Williams, CAC Representative/Parent
Dr. Andrea Zetlin, Professor Emerita CSULA
Past Committee Members
Committee Members
- Mr. Scott M. Schmerelson, Chairperson
- Ms. Jackie Goldberg, Board Member
- Dr. George J. McKenna, III, Board Member
External Representatives
- Ms. Amita Shenoy, Parent
- Ms. Victoria Rivera, Parent
- Ms. Vani Gundara, Parent
- Ms. Claudia Lozano, Parent
- Ms. Hilda Rodriguez-Guzman, Parent
- Ms. Gloria Martinez, UTLA
- Ms. Jannette Verbera, SEIU, Local 99
- Dr. Beth Lasky, California State University, Northridge
District Members
- Ms. Deneen Cox, Chief Compliance and Performance Monitoring Counsel
- Ms. Niru Jayaraman, Assistant Budget Director
- Mr. Aaron Jeffery, Administrator, Special Education
- Ms. Lisa Kendrick, Administrator of Special Education, Local District Northwest
- Mr. Ryan Morse, Principal, Leichman Career Preparatory and Transition Center
- Mr. Marco Tolj, Administrator, Special Education
- Mr. Mike Finn, Teacher, Marshall High School