Families & the Community News in Brief

‘Parent Trigger’ Effort Fails at Calif. School

By Sean Cavanagh — February 28, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A high-profile attempt to use a “parent trigger” law to convert a traditional public school in California to a charter was rejected by the local school board, after divisions over the plans surfaced.

The superintendent of the Adelanto school district, northeast of Los Angeles, recommended that the board reject a parent petition to make the change, saying only 235 of 460 signatures submitted could be verified, short of the necessary threshold, according to the Los Angeles Times. The board agreed, by a 5-0 vote.

A group of parents in the community had pushed to convert Desert Trails Elementary to a charter school, citing frustrations about its low academic performance. But in recent weeks, another group of parents raised concerns about those efforts, according to the Times, saying some of those signing the petition were misled, and that there was not widespread support for a charter, as some had claimed. Ninety-seven of the signatures tossed out were from parents who said they were misled about the conversion, or signed in error, the Times reports.

Proposals to create parent-trigger laws have drawn interest in a number of states.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the February 29, 2012 edition of Education Week as ‘Parent Trigger’ Effort Fails at Calif. School

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Families & the Community Q&A Want to Reach Parents? Try a Podcast
A district technology leader discusses the value of podcasts and how to start one.
3 min read
D. M. Therrell High School student Ja'Marion Hulin, 17, who runs the school's record company, Panther Records, laughs with another student in the school's podcast recording room on Jan. 27, 2025, in Atlanta.
D. M. Therrell High School student Ja'Marion Hulin, 17, who runs the school's record company, Panther Records, laughs with another student in the school's podcast recording room on Jan. 27, 2025, in Atlanta. Podcasts can be another way for schools to increase family engagement.
Brynn Anderson/AP
Families & the Community How to Go Deeper on Family Engagement
There is a discrepancy in understanding what family engagement is and how it can be utilized to support schools in their COVID recovery efforts, according to a new report.
5 min read
Miranda Scully, Director of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) for Fayette County Public Schools, serves food to students and parents during a ACT prep class held at the Family Connection Center on Dec. 12, 2024, in Lexington, Ky. The Family Connection Center offers programs like ESL classes, college preparation, and household budgeting and money management classes. Family engagement is crucial for COVID recovery, but not all in the education field define it in the same way.
Miranda Scully, director of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) for Fayette County Public Schools, serves food to students and parents during a ACT prep class held at the Family Connection Center on Dec. 12, 2024, in Lexington, Ky. The Family Connection Center offers programs like ESL classes, college preparation, and household budgeting and money management classes.
Michael Swensen for Education Week
Families & the Community The Low-Cost, Low-Lift Way These Districts Used to Reduce Student Absences
Dozens of districts tested this strategy as one component of their absenteeism-fighting strategy.
6 min read
Photograph of the front of a schoo lbus driving on a country road with trees, fencing, and a yellow sign reading School Bus Stop Ahead.
iStock/Getty
Families & the Community ‘Where Are Your Blind Spots?’: How Schools Can Create a Sense of Belonging
District leaders share their advice for creating frameworks to help students feel like they belong in their schools.
3 min read
Ty Harris, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, delivers closing remarks and applauds students for their work during the Power of We event at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center at Old Dominion University in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Ty Harris, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, delivers closing remarks and applauds students for their work during the Power of We event at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center at Old Dominion University in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Parker Michels-Boyce for Education Week