FLOOR ALERT
June 3, 2020
Ensure safeguards are in place to protect students’ access to public education
Students need and deserve more than the emergency education they have received since March
2020, and it is essential that state policymakers ensure at least minimum standards are put in place
to protect students’ constitutionally guaranteed access to a public education. As a coalition of civil
rights, parent, community and student groups we are deeply concerned about the social and
emotional impact of the pandemic and recent learning loss, particularly for the students hardest hit
by the crisis: low-income students, students of color and English learners. We are committed to
preventing further learning loss for the upcoming school year and therefore we seek the support of
state policymakers to create a framework for instructional continuity.
Specifically, we call on the Legislature to:

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Reject any efforts to waive instructional minutes, days and year unless there is a framework and
criteria in place to ensure there are minimum safeguards for all students that exceed what some
students have experienced over the last 10 weeks. This includes - similar to key provisions in the
Senate ADA hold harmless proposal - requiring LEAs seeking flexibility from instructional
requirements to develop and post Instructional Continuity Plans that outline strategies to:
o Delineate how stakeholders have been engaged in the plan development process;
o Assess the extent to which students may have experienced or be experiencing learning
loss or trauma during the COVID-19 period, as well as undergo a follow up assessment
for each affected student;
o Provide access to a full curriculum of substantially similar quality regardless of the
method of delivery, including specific actions to provide accommodations for unique
student groups, including English learners, special education students and students who
are not performing at grade level or who have experienced trauma;
o Track student’s daily participation, ensure a meaningful level of attendance and
engagement;
o If all instruction is through distance learning, provide daily synchronous learning
opportunities – when teachers and students learn online together – for all students.
Students must have an opportunity to connect with their teachers and other students;
o If a hybrid method of school is available, then distance learning should be implemented
to complement in class instruction at home not to supplant it while in school.
o Provide resources for families to help them support their child in distance learning in the
languages spoken by the parents; and
o Report the assessment and progress of students to inform instruction and provide
transparency to the public and policymakers.
Set a common minimum standard of no fewer than 175 instructional days in a school year in the
event schools must close due to future COVID 19 outbreaks.
Ensure students have access to devices and reliable internet service, and schools have platforms
in place to support distance learning. Ensure parents and students have access to training on all
platforms in the languages spoken by the parents. They are foundational to ensuring children
have access to a quality public education.
Ensure that students have the school supplies they need at home to complete all assignments.
Ensure hard-to-reach students have access to interventions to address attendance, rather than
face punitive actions.
Establish a mechanism whereby the CDE, CCEE, and county offices intervene to correct
egregious LEA underperformance in high quality distance learning.

California must reaffirm its commitment to students and make certain they are not denied access to
a public education.

For additional information please contact Samantha Tran, Children Now at stran@childrennow.org or Sherry
Skelly Griffith, CA State Parent Teacher Association at sgriffith@capta.org