February 13, 2023: Parents assisted by Loretta’s Little Miracles, a California Department of Public Health licensed Pediatric Skilled Nursing Facility, will petition the CUSD School Board during the Public Comments section of Wednesday February 15th’s school board meeting.
Parents of “medically fragile/exceptionally disabled children and students” of CUSD will speak to the school board in order to discuss the issue of equal opportunity amongst their children.
It is the claim of Loretta’s Little Miracles that these students are not being granted the same opportunity because they are not receiving before-or-after school care with medical accommodation.
This is in addition to the absence of transportation possibilities to a facility that can “medically and legally” provide care for disabled children/students.
There have been two requests to be placed on the formal CUSD Board Agenda that have both been denied as of this point, meaning that the CUSD School Board is restricted from the opportunity to openly discuss, address and vote on the issue at school board meetings.
According to Loretta’s Little Miracles, “medically fragile/exceptionally disabled children/students are an acute subset of the special needs student population…” and “…require licensed nursing care while being under a Physician’s Order to receive Skilled Nursing Services during the school day and outside of the school setting.”
At January 18th’s school board meeting, nine parents of CUSD students who are medically fragile and/or exceptionally disabled, attended the CUSD Board Meeting, while four parents presented during the public comment section.
At the February 15th meeting, parents look to “readdress” their pleas as well as further their request to have their issue be agendized in March of 2023.
They hope to also discuss the possibility that CUSD can provide a “Campus Club ‘like’ program for their medically fragile child staffed by a licensed nurse.”
In addition to this parents will also discuss CUSD providing a “transportation exemption to a licensed medical facility that can provide care that is also within ten miles of the CUSD District Boundaries.”
For this to occur, either a Transportation Policy exemption can take place, or the designation of transportation will have to be listed in a student’s Individual Educational Plan (IEP).
Loretta’s Little Miracles claims that to date, the CUSD School Board has not responded to parents on the subject, although the CUSD Board Members “appeared empathetic at the January meeting.”
However, they also claim that CUSD as a whole has not spoken to the issue of providing an equal level of before or after school care as provided to other students.
The CUSD School Board meeting is held at 1680 David E. Cook Way in Clovis, California, and will commence at 6:30 P.M. Wednesday February 15th.