Schools

Setting the Record Straight: Parents Can Still Volunteer in the Classroom

The following open letter was published on Culver Currents in response to the issue of the Association of Classified Employees' potential lawsuit against the Culver City Unified School District.

The following letter was originally published on the Culver City Unified School District Newsletter Culver Currents. It is reprinted here with permission.

A recent misunderstanding led some to believe that parents would soon be phased out of volunteer positions in classrooms throughout the District.

That is simply untrue, Superintendent Patricia Jaffe told a group of concerned parents at a meeting on Feb. 13 and reiterated at the Feb. 14 Board of Education meeting.

The misunderstanding sprung from a discussion about the status of parent-supported adjuncts at El Marino Language School - an issue that has yet to be discussed by the Board of Education and the collective bargaining units.

"I felt, I should say we all felt, it was important to straighten out some of the misinformation that has been flying around," Jaffe said. "The most important message from us is that parent volunteers are not included in any of this. We love parent volunteers. We want parent volunteers. They are not going to be replaced by District employees. Whatever comes out of all of this, I want you to know parent volunteers have nothing, nothing, nothing to do with any of this."

Jaffe said the issue about the adjuncts would be addressed, if and when, the ACE bargaining unit, which represents the Distict's classified employees, formally opposes the adjuncts current classification as "volunteers."

"Until then, there's really nothing to talk about, and the program will continue as it has for more than 20 years," Jaffe said.

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In addition to this letter, Patch also spoke with School Board President Karlo Silbiger who reiterated that no volunteer parents would be affected.

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"Any parents who wants to volunteer, can," Silbiger told Patch. "No union has any say over that. Also, as a board we think very highly of the adjunct program. I was personally taught by some of the adjuncts when I was in a Spanish immersion program [in the district]. No one wants to get rid of the program."

Silbiger added that only if there is an action taken by the union would the board then look closely at the relevant legal statues. "But it's still pretty premature," he said.

Find out what's happening in Culver Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Editor's note: Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity.

Related articles:

Letter to the Editor: Lawsuit to Save Union Jobs Will Hurt Our Culver City Schools

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