Fresno Unified's proposal to bulk up the number of managers and support staff for special education met with sharp criticism Wednesday from trustees who raised a series of questions, including: Why Dr. Tangee Pinheiro's role would be expanded from instructional superintendent for special education, a job she has held since...
Will A Resolution Help Make Fresno Schools More Inclusive for Special-Needs Kids?
Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson hopes a resolution that the School Board will consider at tonight's trustee meeting will boost efforts to get students with special needs closer to a mainstream education. Resolution 21-15 "Endorsing Inclusive Education Practices for Every Student" spells out that students are to be welcomed...
At-Risk Students Back on Clovis Unified Campuses. Fresno, Central Yet To Act.
This week for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic closed schools abruptly in mid-March, Clovis teachers met with their students in their classrooms. In following with state and local public health directives, the class sessions were small — no more than two children, and no more than two teachers...
These Clovis Unified Kids Will Be Back at School Starting Monday
Some of Clovis Unified School District's most needy students will return to school starting Monday, spokeswoman Kelly Avants says. About 300 severely disabled students of all ages and preschoolers and kindergartners enrolled in the Program for the Acquisition of Language and Social Skills will come individually to campus no more...
Trustees to Vote on High-Performing Dailey Elementary’s Charter Renewal
Morris E. Dailey Elementary Charter School, one of the academically higher-performing elementary charters in California, is up for charter renewal at Wednesday's Fresno Unified School District board meeting. In a report to the school board, district staff said the school is meeting expectations about student performance and recommended that the...
Coronavirus Stretches California’s Special Ed System to the Brink
By Elizabeth Aguilera and Ricardo Cano, CalMatters In Modesto, Claire Lazaro is working full time while caring for her kids with autism. She worries about just how much progress her kids stand to lose now that they’re mostly without their critical hands-on services, such as her 11-year-old daughter’s one-on-one aide...
Local Coalition Ensures Special-Needs Students Aren't Forgotten During Closures
Providing distance learning for most students is challenging, as teachers and parents are finding out while schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the challenges are multiplied for special-needs students whose specialized instruction and therapies have been interrupted by the need for as many people as possible to...
Fresno Unified Lags Neighbor Districts in School Psychologist Hires
A longtime Fresno Unified school psychologist says the district needs to offer contracts to eight school psychologist interns who are being courted by a neighboring school district. Susan Wittrup, who calls the interns "the cream of the crop," says this isn't the first time that interns would have undergone intensive...
Fresno County’s Top Teacher Is Welding Instructor at Court School
Fresno County's top educators for 2019 are welding teacher Greg Barragan, Sanger administrator Dennis Wiechmann and Parlier administrator Praxades Torres III. They were honored Thursday evening at the Educator of the Year Awards ceremony at the Saroyan Theatre in downtown Fresno. The winners of School Employee and Teacher categories may...
Will Nelson Rid FUSD of the Incompetent and the Indifferent?
Some of the photos accompanying this column make me wonder if Fresno Unified will ever get its act together. Listen to this article: As you can see, the conditions in this special education storage room and teachers' office at Figarden Elementary School are appalling. Rat feces and urine are...