We the Parents of Los Angeles, in Order to establish a great public school system, ensure academic success, protect the interests of students, promote the general Welfare of our children, and secure the prosperity of the City of Los Angeles, do ordain and establish this Parents Bill of Rights

Parents’ Bill of Rights

Amendment I. Students Must Come First
The rights of students and their parents supersedes the rights of teachers, principals, administrators, bureaucrats and any other entity and/or interest affiliated with the District. The interests of our children and their education come first and foremost by any and all means necessary.

Amendment II: The Right to High Performing Schools
All Schools that are on the Program Improvement List for five years or more (i.e. failing schools) should be shut down, reconstituted, run by third party operators immediately, or taken over by the state as deemed by federal law. Schools that are on the program improvement list for less than five years need to implement a credible plan of reform, approved by the majority of parents, teachers and administrators to reach standards set by the state of California.

Amendment III: The Right to Parental Involvement
Parents shall be respected and made partners in their children’s education at their local schools. Parents should be involved in decisions in a meaningful way not just to satisfy compliance requirements. Parents will not be treated as outsiders or nuisances but as essential to the success of their child’s education. If a parent has a concern, complaint and/or question regarding their child’s education, they should receive a call back from a teacher, principal or administrator no later than 48 hours after said concern is presented. Parents should also be able to meet with a teacher, principal, or administrator within 72 hours regarding said concern. Schools will remain open to at least 6:00 pm to accommodate working class schedules and function as safe community hubs

Amendment IV: The Right to a Safe, Clean Environment for All Children
Children must learn in an environment that encourages, not hinders, academic success. Every school must be kept safe and parents, teachers, administrators and the community must create a school site safety plan for each school. Security must be increased where needed, to guarantee a safe haven for every child. Classrooms, bathrooms and the general school site should be kept clean and orderly at every school in LAUSD. All students should wear uniforms to encourage an environment where learning, not fashion or gang affiliation, is the priority.

Amendment V. The Right to Local Decision Making
Principals, parents and teachers must make the critical decisions at their schools related to budgeting, hiring and curriculum customization. While LAUSD should collect, codify and distribute to schools the best academic and operational practices, principals, teachers and parents must have ultimate autonomy while being held to strict accountability.

Amendment VI. The Right to Highly Qualified & Satisfied Teachers
Teachers in LAUSD schools must be highly qualified and ready to do the intense and rewarding job of teaching. This requires LAUSD to encourage life learning through extensive professional development and real incentives to achieve progress in the classroom. LAUSD should have the highest paid public school teachers and classified employees in the state of California who are also given a say in what and how they teach in the classroom while being held to strict accountability.

Amendment VII. The Right to Small Classrooms
Students at local schools should be given a personalized education, where classrooms sizes are small, school population size is manageable, and teachers, principals and administrators know the names and personal backgrounds of each and every student. Any primary classroom with an attendance of over 20 students and every secondary classroom with an attendance of over 30 students must be approved by the majority of parents of said school site. School size must be kept small in order to ensure that no child falls through the cracks.

Amendment VIII. The Right to have Money Go directly into Classroom Instruction
At least 90% of all funds must immediately go to classroom instruction and direct school operations. No more than 10% of taxpayer money should go to support the bureaucracy of LAUSD. The district must account for the way it spends money and make that information public to the taxpayers who support it.

Amendment IX. The Right for Transparent Communication
Parents must be given all information by the district regarding the academic standing, long term plans and achievement of their local schools. Information regarding academic performance, changes in administration, safety concerns etc. should be made readily available via the district website, mailings, phone calls to parents, and any other technologically feasible means. Information should be available in English and Spanish.

Amendment X. The Right to Accountability
Expectations must be clearly set for the district, administrators and teachers. There should be clear performance guidelines for every employee involved in the success of children and clear consequences, up to termination, enacted if and when these guidelines are not enforced and/or attained. Conversely, parents pledge to stay engaged in their children’s education and participate as actively as possible in school administration and operations. Students pledge to strive for their maximum potential in achieving educational outcome.