ANNOUNCEMENT: REPORT RELEASE
Why is this important now? The current reopening of schools can be a "make or break" moment for parents of students and for their teachers. Both are returning to an academic setting divided over the coronavirus and how to best teach children in the new environment, with many families having endured traumatic experiences. This context may predispose some usually benign or nonthreatening situations to escalate into conflict. Without administrator training and relevant support systems in place, disputes end up penalizing parents by effectively barring them from their child's schools and preventing meaningful engagement. In this newsletter we highlight how LAUSD mitigates this risk of possible conflict and supports administrators to ensure a welcoming and respectful environment for both parents and staff.
Progress Report on the LAUSD Issuance of Disruptive Person Letters to Parents:
"When we know better, we do better."

Background

In 2016, the Parent Organization Network (PON) released a report on the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Issuance of Disruptive Person Letters (DPLs) to parents. These letters are issued by principals to parents, guardians, and other adults for behavior deemed, at the discretion of the principal, to be "disruptive." The letter restricts access to a school campus for a year. Sixty-five percent of DPLs were issued to parents with children in elementary schools. Over 30% of almost 500 letters were coming from 11% of principals that were misusing or overusing the letters. This initial PON report led to the following changes in 2017:
"A DPL brings the full bureaucratic and law-enforcement authority of LAUSD against the parent who, in many cases, is doing nothing more than attempting to obtain information, express concerns, or resolve problems at their child’s school. This updated report is a “must read” for any administrator. Think of it as "restorative justice for parents” because that’s exactly what it is.

Paul Robak, 2020-21 Chairperson, LAUSD Parent Advisory Committee
[Noted for affiliation only]
About this Report

This second report highlights key findings on DPL issuance, use of the appeals proces, and staff training. The report is based on a new LAUSD data set of 236 DPLs issued from 2016 to 2020, with data being more complete for 2017-18 and 2018-19. The information on the training and resources for parents and educators was provided by LAUSD staff. To download the report, click the here.
Top 5 Findings:

  1. The number of DPLs issued declined 67.8% from 2015-16 to 2017-18. Although DPL issuance declined in every local district, principals in Local District South and West continue to issue the most DPLs.
  2. The number of principals issuing a high number of DPLs (5 or more letters) declined from 11% to 4.6%. No principal issued more than 5 letters.
  3. Warnings increased by 8%.
  4. Parents did not use the newly established appeal process.
  5. LAUSD training outcomes are promising in providing principals with alternative strategies to understand and partner with parents instead of using DPLs.
Resources

LAUSD Training for administrators: The one-day training provides a tiered framework for building community, connections, mutual respect, and relational trust, as well as strategies to avert or ameliorate conflicts. The training has four components on relational trust, trauma-informed lens, effective communication strategies, and restorative justice practices. To learn more, download the report.
Articles and resources used or developed by LAUSD to support administrators and families:
"When we know better, we do better" - Maya Angelou
“ The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the critical role of families in the academic achievement and overall well-being of students. Supporting principals with training so they can build relationships with families and effectively mediate conflict, leads to stronger family-school partnerships and situations where everyone wins, especially students.” 
- Araceli Simeón, PON Director
"Principals set the tone for family engagement and it is critical to get them ready to collaborate with parents. At the same time, research tells us that to get the best results, we need to implement dual-capacity models for school staff and parents. Bottom line: Parents need to be included in training and decisions, not excluded. When we know better, we will work with each other better."
-María Daisy Ortiz, LAUSD and PON Parent Leader
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PON is grateful to LAUSD staff for their partnership throughout the process of developing this report and sharing these resources, especially Alicia L. Garoupa, Antonio Plascencia Jr., and Paul Gonzales. Alicia is Administrator with Student Health and Human Services (SHHS); Antonio is Director of the Office of Parent & Community Services; and Paul is a Specialist with Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports/Restorative Practices in SHHS.