Parents at a Compton elementary school recently became the first in California to use a new law that lets parents force major changes at their school, called the “parent trigger.”
Passed to help California get a better shot at the Race to the Top competition for federal funds, the state law allows parents to force schools to close, get a new principal or be taken over by a charter school operator if 51 percent of parents agree — dramatic powers that have sparked fierce debate.
Could the same thing happen here? So far I haven’t heard much about it, though Debbie O’Toole, a Scripps Ranch parent who leads a grassroots parent group, mentioned in an email to parents that “San Diego Unified has at least 30 schools that qualify.” If you’ve been mulling whether to use the trigger — or decided against it — please let me know and tell me why.
Please contact Emily Alpert directly at emily.alpert@voiceofsandiego.org and follow her on Twitter: twitter.com/emilyschoolsyou.