School district working well

I believe it is important for all members of a community to be well informed about their public institutions. I believe this to be particularly important in regard to the Glendale Unified School District, because we educate this community's children. In that spirit I would like to briefly address three issues.

A recent writer to the Community Forum asked what the results of an audit of the district had been ("District must take parents seriously," Oct. 3, Mailbag.) The writer also asked why the results had not been made public. The district wants all of its residents to know that the audit was publicly reported at a Board of Education meeting, which took place prior to the letter being published. The audit found the district to be in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

The writer also implied that the district does not take seriously the concerns of its parents. It is the practice of the board to fully explore all issues which are brought to our attention by parents, staff, students or community members. What the district cannot guarantee is that everyone will always receive the outcome they seek.

The district must function within the California state education code as well as the other state and federal regulations and laws by which it is governed.

The third issue I would like to address is the district's policy of having each of our students reach their highest level of achievement.

This is challenging as our students are individuals who do not all follow the same learning paths. Identifying the particular learning needs of our students is a moral as well as a legal obligation.

For many years parents and educators have worked to help the broader community understand exactly what special education is all about, and more importantly, to remove the stigma, which for too long was attached to children with special needs. To stigmatize students who participate in programs designed to meet their individual learning requirements is cruel and betrays a woeful ignorance of documented research, which demonstrates that children learn in many different ways.