A Humboldt County grand jury report released Friday found that Humboldt County not only leads the state’s counties in the percentage of students enrolled in special education programs, but also is enrolling there disproportionate numbers of Native American and Hispanic children — some of whom may not even have disabilities.
Two other reports released Friday outline the grand jury’s findings on county government transparency regarding appropriate and efficient uses of Measure Z funds, and what the grand jury called “five potential weaknesses in the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors’ governing priorities.”
SPECIAL EDUCATION
The special education report cites state Department of Education figures that show Humboldt County enrolls 17 percent of its K-12 students diagnosed as having one or more disabilities in special education — 22 percent when preschoolers are included.
In its report, the grand jury found:
“ • Too many children of Native American and Hispanic heritage, who may not have disabilities, are being placed into special education programs.
“ • Foster youth are overrepresented in high numbers within special education.
“ • There are intervention strategies to keep children in the general education programs but there is a mindset to bypass this part of the process.
“ • Ruling out cultural, linguistic, and environmental factors when making decisions about children’s educational needs is imperative.
“ • Only limited understanding exists about second language development and culturally appropriate educational strategies.
“ • Insufficient understanding exists about the long-term ramifications of placing children into special education who do not need to be there.
“ • More emphasis is placed on removing children from general education classrooms and not enough on keeping them there.”
The grand jury recommended that:
• The Humboldt-Del Norte Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) initiate a comprehensive independent review of the initial and triennial Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs). This review must include analyzing assessments administered to verify eligibility criteria has been met and assessment standards followed, for all Hispanic, Native American, and foster youth, for each initial or triennial IEP completed during the 2017-18 school year. This review should be completed by Dec. 1, 2018.
• Humboldt-Del Norte SELPA, upon completion of the review, establish a review process to verify future assessments follow state standards for appropriate assessment practices, eligibility criteria, and proof of appropriate intervention. This process should be in place by June 1, 2019.
• Humboldt-Del Norte SELPA present training to Child Welfare Services social workers, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and foster parents regarding special education law, ethics, purpose, and referral and assessment processes. This training should be scheduled by Sept. 1, 2018 for the 2018-2019 school year and offered annually thereafter to all new hires.
• The Humboldt County Office of Education present training to all school district administrators and HCOE liaisons about special education law, ethics, purpose, and process. This training should be completed by Sept. 1, 2018. The district administrators should then present the training to all teaching staff by Dec. 1, 2018.
• The Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services mandate biennial attendance by all staff with direct youth contact at Humboldt-Del Norte SELPA trainings to be offered regarding special education law, ethics, purpose, and process. This initial training should be completed by Dec. 1, 2018.
Under state law, responses to this report are required from Humboldt-Del Norte SELPA, Humboldt County Office of Education, DHSS, and Humboldt County CASA’s board of directors.
MEASURE Z
The grand jury also released report Friday on Measure Z allocations, the findings of which include that although Measure Z funds have been “mostly allocated according to the original intent of providing public safety to citizens of Humboldt County,” and although failing to renew the countywide half-percent sales tax “could be catastrophic, particularly with respect to public safety,” the annual independent audits of the measure promised to the public before its passage in 2014 never took place.
Among the grand jury report’s recommendations to the Board of Supervisors: Contract no later than Dec. 31 with an outside firm to perform an annual independent audit of all Measure Z expenditures, and move by Oct. 1 to form ad hoc committees to measure Measure Z’s effectiveness and to boost Measure Z accountability and transparency in the tracking and monitoring of all Measure Z expenditures.
Under state law, a response to this report is required from the Board of Supervisors. The Measure Z Citizens Advisory Committee is also invited to respond.
COUNTY GOVERNANCE
In its eleventh and final report of the year, while the grand jury found the majority of county employees “hardworking, dedicated, and committed to public service,” it criticized county government as being pervaded by a “silo mentality” and a lack of interdepartmental communication, as well as a lack of vision from the Board of Supervisors, and inadequate service available to rural residents the further they resided from the county seat of Eureka.
“We found evidence of duplication in fiscal, information technology, human resources, motor pool, and record keeping functions within the county government,” the grand jury wrote. “Frequently heard from department heads and department deputies was both the word ‘silo’ and that information was not being passed from one group to another without first moving to the top of the chain of command. Many county employees could not describe the functions performed in the office next door.”
Highlights of the grand jury report’s extensive recommendations include:
• A reorganization of county government under an executive officer to free the Board of Supervisors to focus on long-term planning.
• Immediate action from the Board of Supervisors “to address both the short and long term housing shortage facing the county, which must include strategies beyond the current Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Housing First models. Such strategies might include modifying the General Plan to allow for additional housing starts and alternative housing options, and reducing building fees to encourage development.”
Under state law, a response to this report is required from the Board of Supervisors.
June 29, 2018
Eureka Times-Standard
By The Times-Standard
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