Parents Prepare to Takeover Failing School in Los Angeles

PARENTS SICK OF FAILING SCHOOLS HAVE IDENTIFIED THE FIRST SCHOOL WHERE THEY WILL PULL THE “PARENT TRIGGER”

This Tuesday, utilizing the historic California Parent Trigger law, Los Angeles parents will be delivering a stack of signed parent petitions demanding their local elementary school (name to be released on Monday) be put up for review.

Utilizing the historic California Parent Trigger law, which the LA-based Parent Revolution was instrumental in passing,Parent Revolution provided the support and infrastructure to enable local parents to organize, and get signatures on the official Parent Trigger petition, declaring that they are unhappy with the school’s performance. Under the new law, with 51% of parents’ signatures on the petition, the school district is obligated to make changes and improvements in the school.

For this first use of the Parent Trigger law, also marking the first time that parents have exercised a formal, legal right to transform a school, parents gathered signatures from 61% of parents, well above the majority required. Under the terms of the new law, applicable to schools in the third year or higher of federal “program improvement” status, XX Unified School District (name provided on Monday)  will be required to take action at the school, in one of 4 ways: charter conversion, meaning takeover by a charter school operator; turnaround, including large changes such as new staff and re-budgeting; transformation, including hiring a new principal and other incremental changes; or closure, a last resort that is not recommended by Parent Revolution.