Exchange ideas and resources confidentially and respectfully. All are welcome, especially parents of students with IEPs, 504s, learning differences, mental health and emotional challenges. Hosted by SELPA1 CAC.

PAUSD Special Education Review – Preliminary Findings & Recommendation June 15, 2016 The Preliminary Findings and Recommendation from the Review of Special Education conducted by Tom Herir & Associates are now available. Harvard Review Preliminary Findings The review team visited our district, reviewed student-level data and conducted online surveys. The independent survey prepared by Harvard in […]

Are you concerned about the emotional wellness of your child? Join the free parent chat for peer to peer support. A support group hosted by the Mental Health Subcommittee of SELPA 1 CAC. Professional guidance by Monique Kane, LMFT. All parents welcome to talk about children age 14+. This program takes place every 2nd Tuesday […]

A “Special” Special Olympics  Usually in May, student athletes complete track & field activities at Gunn High School to complete the Special Olympics medal. Of course this wasn’t possible under the current shelter-in-place order. That didn’t slow anyone down, though! Our wonderful APE teacher Angel Sheridan and her support team came up with a virtual […]

What is Autism? From the website Autism Speaks: “Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 59 children in the United States today.” Local Resources […]

This IEP training covered Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE), Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), how to read through an IEP document, and how to develop SMART goals for your child in Special Education. Organized by Palo Alto CAC, presented by Sarah Wickens, an advocate trained by non-profit COPAA (Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates), and co-sponsored […]

Click here to read a statement CAC made to the PAUSD Board about the new Equity Plan (Dec 17, 2017) The Proposed Plan illustrates key building blocks for an equity-focused system — setting high expectations for all students, and goals for the groups who are the furthest behind. By providing transparency about how students are […]

At the January 18th, 2022 meeting, Palo Alto CAC made comments to School Board on Dyslexic and Struggling Readers. You can access those comments here. There is also a recording available, MidPen Media Recording for Board Item 7B

Exchange ideas and resources confidentially and respectfully. All are welcome, especially parents of students with IEPs, 504s, learning differences, mental health and emotional challenges. Hosted by SELPA1 CAC.

In person event POSTPONED.  Virtual cards are welcome! (Details below) Each year, the Palo Alto CAC honors the bus drivers who play a vital role in transporting students to and from school. This year, we’ll be sending cards via email to the bus drivers. If you and your children have time please make/ design a thank you card […]

You’re invited to hear from special guest R. Keeth Matheny, a nationally recognized Social Emotional Learning (SEL) teacher, advocate and author. He will lead participants through a selection of lessons from the School Connect program being piloted at Paly and Gunn. Participants will engage in activities focused on building the SEL soft skills of active […]

The final report of the PAUSD Special Education Review by Hehir and Associates has been released, and the Palo Alto CAC has issued a response. See below for documents. This review affirms many of the issues and concerns we articulated previously, and surveys of teachers and administrators are now confirming the same. PAUSD includes students […]

We meet once a month, usually the 3rd week of the month, alternating between Monday evenings and Tuesday mornings. During our meetings we discuss district news, plan events, and review CAC activities. Meetings are open to the public and we welcome all to join.

Please join us for some self-care time. We will be joined by Florence de Bretagne, a local artist and muralist, who will lead our community through an art activity involving objects easily found around your home. We hope you can join us for this event and find community as well as some inspiration during our […]