Tag: advocacy

AB 856 Established Protocols for Safe Return to School

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By Vinita Verma, California State PTA Community Concerns Legislative Advocate 

California State PTA supported Assembly Bill (AB) 856 (Maienschein) which was signed  by Governor Gavin Newsom in July.  The bill addressed the much-needed COVID era protocols for the safe return of students to exercise and physical activity after testing positive for or experiencing symptoms of, COVID-19. Validating the public’s right to information, the bill requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to post information on its website about the protocols for the safe return to school after a student contracts Covid. In addition, school districts will be encouraged to distribute this information. This law went into immediate effect for the health and safety of the public.

California State PTA supports legislation that prevents, controls, or eliminates hazards to the health, safety, and well-being of all children and youth. This bill provides important information for families and students. It safeguards the health of students who contracted or experienced symptoms of COVID-19. California State PTA acknowledges the need for science-based information and transparency to be available to all affected parties.

California State PTA relied on two legislative planks in supporting this legislation:

  • Legislative Plank #8 – To protect and improve the health of all families through the prevention, treatment, and control of disease; and 
  • Legislative Plank #11 – To prevent, control, or eliminate hazards to the health, safety, and well-being of all children and youth.

Additional Reading and Resources:

The American Academy of Pediatrics has published guidance for students’ safe return to sports and physical activity.  https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-interim-guidance-return-to-sports/

California State PTA has collected a variety of resources for parents and PTA leaders here: https://capta.org/news-publications/covid-19/

Senate Bill 796: A Step Closer to Historic Justice for a Southern California Family

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By Beth Graves Meyerhoff, California State PTA Legislative Advocate

In a historic moment on September 30, 2011, the issue of reparations was addressed by Governor Gavin Newsom when he signed Senate Bill (SB) 796, authored by California State Senator Steven Bradford (D). SB 796 authorizes Los Angeles County to transfer two parcels of land to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce. The  property, located in Manhattan Beach, was wrongfully taken from its owners in the 1920s simply because of their race. 

Senator Bradford has been quoted as saying, “SB 796 represents economic and historic justice and is a model of what reparations can truly look like.” At the bill signing, Senator Bradford also said, “We’re returning what was rightfully theirs. It’s not a gift of public funds. They were denied generational wealth when the city took it from them.”

The Bruces purchased two beachfront parcels of property in 1912 for $1,225 and operated a seaside resort for African Americans at a time when beaches were segregated. In 1924, the property was taken by the city of Manhattan Beach through eminent domain to create a public park. The Bruce family received $14,500 for the parcels. The properties remained vacant until 1948 when they were given to the state and later transferred to Los Angeles County in 1995 to operate a lifeguard station.  

California State PTA believes that we must eradicate the negative impact of institutional racism and we must support systems and practices that are rooted in social justice to effectively serve the needs of children, youth, and families. The National PTA in a related position statement emphasized, “As an association that represents all children, we must listen, educate and advocate beyond rhetoric and rise to correct all inequities and injustices.” 

In his press release, Governor Newsom said, “As we move to remedy this nearly century-old injustice, California takes another step furthering our commitment to making the California Dream a reality for communities that were shamefully shut out by a history of racist exclusion. We know our work is just beginning to make amends for our past, and California will not shy from confronting the structural racism and bias that people of color face to this day.” 

The next step is for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to consider a motion for the county to accept the deed for the parcels in order for the county to return the two parcels of land to the Bruce family.

The California State PTA Legislative Action Committee considered these General Principles and Legislation Planks to support this legislation:

Additional reading about this legislation and the history of Bruce’s Beach: 

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bruce-s-beach-manhattan-beach-california-1920/

https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/californias-novel-attempt-at-land-reparations

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-30/newsom-signs-law-to-return-bruces-beach-black-family

Learn How To Put Arts Education Into Your District Budget

Posted on by Ray Kinyon

LEARN HOW TO PUT ARTS EDUCATION INTO YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET

Parents, students, and community advocates can help assure that arts education is part of their school district’s annual funding discussion. The state’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is the key and you’re invited to a virtual workshop to learn more.

Join California State PTA, along with our partners Create CA, Arts for LA, and the Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area, for Part 1 of a three-part series focused on the LCFF and how to be an informed arts education advocate. You’ll walk away knowing how to read and understand your school district’s Local Control & Accountability Plan (LCAP). You’ll learn about the tools you need to let your school leaders know that the arts are not optional. You’ll hear directly from a school board member and student representatives about promising practices for creating change in your district.

This free workshop takes place on Thursday, October 28, at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Time). Click HERE to register.

California Supports Diversity with New Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirement

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By California State PTA Legislation Team with the Health and Community Concerns and Education Commissions

With the governor’s signing of Assembly Bill (AB) 101 Ethnic Studies (Medina), California is the first state in the country to require that every high school student take an ethnic studies course in order to graduate. This bill, which was supported by California State PTA, requires schools to offer ethnic studies beginning with the 2025-26 school year and makes the one-semester ethnic studies course a graduation requirement beginning with the 2029-30 school year. 

Students must take a course that meets one of the following requirements:

  • A course based on the model curriculum, which was approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) in March 2021.
  • An existing ethnic studies course already offered at their high school.
  • A course that has been approved as meeting the A-G requirements for the University of California and the California State University.
  • A locally developed ethnic studies course approved by the school board or the governing body of the charter school.

The ethnic studies course requirement is important because it seeks to include voices that have not always been represented in instructional materials – voices of Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans. Ethnic-studies advocates cite evidence that the inclusion of voices often omitted from traditional lessons and texts can lead to more student engagement and improved general academic performance. 

School districts can use the model curriculum, adopted on March 18, 2021, by the California State Board of  Education, as a guide to new instructional materials.  AB 101 also enables school districts to create their own lesson plans. As a result, the content of ethnic studies courses may vary from district to district. Many school districts in California such as Los Angeles Unified and Fresno Unified already have ethnic studies courses.

The new high school graduation requirement follows last year’s Assembly Bill 1460 signed by Governor Newsom which requires California State University students to take an ethnic studies course in order to earn their university degree. An ethnic studies course as a graduation requirement has already been vetoed twice: once by Governor Jerry Brown in 2018, who stated in his veto message that he was concerned about overwhelmed students and again in 2020 by Governor Newsom who vetoed the measure since the model ethnic studies curriculum had not yet been adopted.  

California State PTA supported this bill in order to provide the most comprehensive and diversified education possible for all children. Specifically, California State PTA supports curricula that develop an awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity designed to help students to develop personal worth and confidence in one’s own abilities. 

To Learn More About this Topic

The basis for PTA’s support of AB 101 includes:

Articles that provide more background and perspective:

Family-School Partnership Standard #4: Speaking Up for Every Child

Posted on by Ray Kinyon

by Heather Ippolito, Vice President Family Engagement Commission

October 2021 Family Engagement

The fourth PTA National Standard for Family-School Partnerships calls for empowering families to speak up and advocate for their child and other children to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.  

Families often need help in this area, as many don’t feel comfortable speaking up in school or district meetings. PTA and school administrators can do so much to help build confidence in our parents and caregivers. Here are a few ways you can help build capacity in this area:

Parents need to understand their rights and responsibilities. The California Department of Education oversees rights that are written into law as part of the California Education Code. Many families are unaware that they have the right to do things like review the curriculum their child is learning, observe their child in their classroom and participate in committees or councils at the school and district levels. School administrators and PTA units can help families understand these rights by doing annual information nights in multiple languages, including these rights in newsletters or on the website, and advertising opportunities for parent engagement in the committees and councils.

As issues arise on your campus, your PTA can host discussions for parents, students, teachers, staff, and administrators to come together and work toward solutions. Having all parties in a room together can spark creative solutions to issues and allow everyone to feel heard and involved.

Provide families with advocacy training. Advocacy is a scary term for many parents, but at the school level, advocacy can be as simple as asking your teacher for a resource your child needs or sharing a concern with the school principal. Show parents that all forms of advocacy — small at the school site or larger efforts like speaking to legislators — are welcomed and needed for our children to succeed. 

Families need to understand how the school system works. Who do they talk to if they have concerns about their child? When should they involve the principal? What offices at the district office are there to support student learning? California State PTA has the School Smarts Family Engagement Program that, over seven sessions, helps families at your school answer those questions and build capacity for greater advocacy and involvement. You can get more information about this program by emailing programsupport@capta.org 

You can download the comprehensive document PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, or get started with this brief summary. You might also want to share our previous blog posts: 

Introduction to the National Standards

Standard 1- Welcoming All Families

Standard 2- Communicating Effectively

Standard 3- Supporting Student Success

We Should Have a Resolution on That!

Posted on by Ray Kinyon

by Resolutions Committee

A History of Parent Advocacy

Founded in 1897, Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is a nationwide network of 4 million families, students, educators, and community leaders working at the school building, district, state, and national levels to improve education, health and safety conditions for our children. The PTA’s mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. PTA gives parents a united and powerful voice, a seat at the decision making table, and the tools to influence change that will better the lives of all children.  

Important guides to PTA Advocacy

PTA advocacy is led by our members from the local elementary school to the state and national level.  Our efforts are guided by PTA authorities, such as resolutions, position statements and legislation platforms that are adopted by either our national or state organization. For California State PTA that includes our Mission Statement, our Resolutions and our Position Statements.  

Why PTA Members Should Write a Resolution

PTA Resolutions call attention to a problem and a need for action on a particular issue. They are a major source of authority to take positions on issues for the California State PTA and its units, councils, and districts. If a problem or situation has statewide implications affecting children, youth and families, a convention resolution is one way to authorize PTA action. Resolutions are adopted by a majority vote of delegates at the annual meeting. Resolutions are PTA authorities created and adopted by the membership. Resolutions must meet the following criteria:

  • Be in accordance with PTA purposes and policies
  • Be prepared according to criteria specified in the California State PTA Resolutions Procedure Book.
  • Follow National PTA guidelines, if a resolution is to be forwarded to the National PTA

Is there a statewide  issue you feel should be addressed by PTA?  

Have a look at the California State PTA Toolkit here for details on advocacy.  If you do not see a resolution or position statement on the topic, please contact the Resolutions committee resolutions@capta.org for guidance. 

We look forward to your help in strengthening our voice for the children and families of California.

Advocacy Agenda for Equity 2021

Posted on by CAPTA IT

California State PTA believes that all children deserve a quality education regardless of the community in which they live, the color of their skin, their language, their gender identity, or their immigration status.

But too many California students from underserved communities are deprived of an equal opportunity to learn. This year we created an equity agenda to address the needs of all of our children. The bills the California State PTA supports are listed below by category.

Poverty, Income, and Racial Inequality

PTA seeks legislation to address poverty, and the income and racial inequities that affect millions of California families.

  • AB 27 (Rivas, Luz D) Homeless children and youths and unaccompanied youths: reporting.
  • AB 57 (Gabriel D) Law enforcement: hate crimes.
  • AB 367 (Garcia, Cristina D) Menstrual products.
  • AB 408 (Quirk-Silva D) Homeless children and youths: reporting.
  • AB 742 (Calderon D) Personal income taxes: voluntary contributions: School Supplies for Homeless Children Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund.
  • AB 1006 (Rubio, Blanca D) Foster care: social worker turnover workgroup.
  • SB 17 (Pan D) Office of Racial Equity.
  • SB 100 (Hurtado D) Extended foster care program working group.
  • AB 14 (Aguiar-Curry D) Communications: broadband services: California Advanced Services Fund.
  • AB 775 (Berman D) Public postsecondary education: basic needs of students.
  • SB 4 (Gonzalez D) Communications: California Advanced Services Fund: deaf and disabled telecommunications program: surcharges.
  • SB 532 (Caballero D) Pupil instruction: high school coursework and graduation requirements: exemptions.
  • SB 682 (Rubio D) Childhood chronic health conditions: racial disparities.
  • AB 37 (Berman D) Elections: vote by mail ballots.
  • AB 546 (Maienschein D) Dependent children: documents: housing.
  • AB 656 (Carrillo D) Child welfare system: racial disparities.
  • SB 274 (Wieckowski D) Local government meetings: agenda and documents.
  • AB 34 Muratsuchi D Broadband for All Act of 2022.
  • AB 256 Kalra D Criminal procedure: discrimination.
  • SB 79 Bradford D State parks: state beaches: County of Los Angeles: Manhattan State Beach: deed restrictions.

Early Learning

PTA supports quality childcare, pre-school and early learning for all children.

  • AB 22 (McCarty D) Childcare: preschool programs and transitional kindergarten: enrollment: funding.
  • AB 92 (Reyes D) Preschool and childcare and development services: family fees.
  • AB 321 (Valladares R) Childcare services: eligibility.
  • AB 393 (Reyes D) Early Childhood Development Act of 2020.
  • AB 1361 (Rubio, Blanca D) Childcare and developmental services: preschool: expulsion and suspension: mental health services: reimbursement rates.
  • SB 50 (Limón D) Early learning and care.
  • SB 725 (Ochoa Bogh R) Early childhood education: parent participation preschool programs.

Health and Welfare

Physical, social, emotional, and mental health needs must be met before students can thrive.

  • AB 452 (Friedman D) Pupil safety: parental notification: firearm safety laws.
  • SB 260 (Wiener D) Climate Corporate Accountability Act.
  • SB 699 (Eggman D) School climate: statewide school climate indicator: surveys.
  • AB 285 (Holden D) State Department of Education: state school nurse consultant.
  • AB 967 (Frazier D) Special education: COVID-19 Special Education Fund.
  • SB 224 (Portantino D) Pupil instruction: mental health education.
  • SB 237 (Portantino D) Special education: dyslexia risk screening.
  • SB 722 (Melendez R) Interscholastic athletics: adult supervisors: cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.
  • AB 234 (Ramos D) Office of Suicide Prevention.
  • AB 270 (Ramos D) Core Behavioral Health Crisis Services System.
  • AB 309 (Gabriel D) Pupil mental health: model referral protocols.
  • AB 586 (O’Donnell D) Pupil health: health and mental health services: School Health Demonstration Project.
  • AB 988 (Bauer-Kahan D) Mental health: mobile crisis support teams: 988 crisis hotline.
  • AB 1117 (Wicks D) Pupil support services: Healthy Start: Toxic Stress and Trauma Resiliency for Children Program.
  • AB 1165 (Gipson D) Juvenile facilities: storage and use of chemical agents and facility staffing.
  • AB 1197 (Quirk-Silva D) School meals: nutritional requirements.
  • SB 14 (Portantino D) Pupil health: school employee and pupil training: excused absences: youth mental and behavioral health.
  • SB 21 (Glazer D) Specialized license plates: mental health awareness.
  • SB 217 (Dahle R) Comprehensive sexual health education and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention education.
  • SB 364 (Skinner D) Pupil meals: Free School Meals For All Act of 2021.
  • AB 48 (Gonzalez, Lorena D) Law enforcement: kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents.

Education Funding

California’s school finance system must provide stable, sustainable, equitable, and adequate funding to meet the diverse needs of all our students, including before and after-school programs, summer school, and distance learning.

  • AB 99 (Irwin D) Statewide longitudinal data system: California Cradle-to-Career Data System: governance and support.
  • AB 1112 (Carrillo D) Before and after school programs: maximum grant amounts.
  • SB 737 (Limón D) California Student Opportunity and Access Program.
  • AB 75 (O’Donnell D) Education finance – School facilities: Kindergarten-Community Colleges Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2022.
  • SB 22 (Glazer D) Education finance- School facilities: Public Preschool, K–12, and College Health and Safety.

Teaching

PTA supports the recruitment and development of an educator workforce that is reflective of the student population, and that all students have qualified and effective teachers delivering a full curriculum.

  • AB 312 (Seyarto R) Teacher credentialing: basic skills proficiency test: exemption.
  • AB 437 (Kalra D) Teacher credentialing: subject matter competence.
  • AB 520 (Gipson D) Teacher retention: California Diversifying the Teacher Workforce Grant Program.
  • SB 237 (Portantino D) Special education: dyslexia risk screening.

Curriculum

Instruction should be personalized, culturally relevant, and responsive.  Coursework must address racism and bias to counteract the institutional and structural biases and related traumas that often drive inequitable outcomes for students.

  • AB 101 (Medina D) Pupil instruction: high school graduation requirements: ethnic studies.
  • AB 104 (Gonzalez, Lorena D) Pupil instruction: retention, grade changes, and exemptions.
  • AB 299 (Villapudua D) Career technical education: California Apprenticeship Grant Program.
  • AB 839 (O’Donnell D) Career technical education: California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program.
  • ACR 49 (Choi R) Arts Education Month.
  • SB 545  (Wilk R) Pupil retention: COVID-19 impact.
  • SB 628 (Allen D) California Creative Workforce Act of 2021.
  • SB 723 (Rubio D) Pupil instruction: tutoring program: learning loss mitigation.
  • SB 70 (Rubio D) Elementary education: kindergarten.
  • AB 366 (Rubio, Blanca D) Foster youth.

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It’s Time for a Renewed Focus on the Old LCAP

Posted on by CAPTA IT

This article was written by Kathleen Fay, member of the California State PTA Legislation Team.

A school district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is an important tool that requires a district to identify goals, address priorities, allocate funds, implement actions, provide services, and measure results to improve student outcomes. The annual LCAP review should provide opportunities for robust parent involvement as a fundamental part of the planning process.  However, this LCAP process was turned on its head last year with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quarantines and school closures necessitated changes in the usual LCAP planning process. First, an Executive Order extended LCAP deadlines, then legislation eliminated the annual LCAP update altogether. Taking its place was the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan – by no coincidence also abbreviated as LCAP – to be used as a planning tool to address issues of distance learning, live student interactions, and attendance. The “new LCAP” included strategies to ensure a full curriculum, train staff, and address resources and technical support during the crisis. And it was all to have been put together with parent input and reported publicly.

As California now looks (hopefully) towards a post-pandemic school year, districts must return to the original LCAP model to examine how students were supported throughout the pandemic, what was done to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, and consider the effects of issues such as pupil learning loss; student and staff mental health and social-emotional well-being; pupil engagement and outreach; nutrition; learning continuity; attendance; infrastructure needs; and any ongoing response to COVID-19.

In short, it’s time for school districts to take an honest look at the results of the last year and then make practical plans on how to repair any damage. This is something that PTAs should strongly encourage members to take part in – through multiple public input opportunities. These meetings should be open to input from all parents and community members. It is up to us to speak for every child with one voice.

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School Reopening Advocacy: What Can Your PTA Do?

Posted on by CAPTA IT

This article was written by Shereen Walter, California State PTA’s Director of Legislation.

Now that the Governor and Legislature have come to agreement on the details surrounding the $2 billion to incentivize schools to reopen for in person learning, what can you as a PTA do?

First of all, remember that your PTA represents ALL parents – those who want their kids to return to school, those who are more cautious and those who are not ready for their children to return to school full time. You need to be speaking for “Every Child, One Voice.”

Stick to the PTA talking points outlined in the two California State PTA documents:

Some of the issues surrounding school reopening that you can advocate for are:

  • Parent Communication and Input – School Districts must prioritize strong two-way communication with parents as they prepare and execute reopening plans. The voices of parents representing the diversity of the community need to be included in decision making.
  • In-Person Attendance – Parents should be able to choose whether their child returns to school in-person depending on the health of the child and their family situation.
  • Mental Health Is Important – Schools must provide adequate resources to meet the mental health needs of students and staff to support their individual needs.
  • Expanded Learning and Learning Loss – Parents should be providing input into the types of programs needed to address learning loss and that also meet the social emotional needs of the whole child. School districts are developing their plans now to address learning loss caused by the pandemic, including after-school, summer, and child-care programs.
  • Realistic Timeline – Schools need to open as soon as practically possible while protecting the health and well-being of students, staff and families.
  • Technology Access – All students who continue on a hybrid or distance learning model need to have appropriate Wi-Fi and a computer or laptop so that they can adequately access remote learning.

…and now for a few cautions.

  1. Offer quotes to the media in writing. This prevents you being quoted out of context, incorrectly, or from accidentally stating your personal opinion rather than the stance of PTA.
  2. Stick to PTA talking points on the social media accounts of PTA.
  3. Opinion pieces can only be written with the approval of your executive board and must contain only PTA positions.
  4. PTA leaders can not use their PTA title or affiliation in speaking in opposition to a PTA position.

Last of all, PTA must remain neutral in a dispute arising from school employer-employee negotiations. For more detailed information, see this webpage.

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March 31st is National Crayon Day

Posted on by CAPTA IT

Take some time with the family today to celebrate both National Crayon Day and the end of Arts Education Month. Our Communications Commission created these coloring sheets that highlight PTA’s advocacy efforts over the years — enjoy coloring them with the family or your PTA unit.

              
PDF version                         PDF version                  PDF version                  PDF version                 PDF version                PDF version

 

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