May chemical leak forced 13 schools to close
A volatile, highly flammable chemical tank at a Garden Grove aerospace facility prompted officials to close 13 GGUSD schools on May 22, 2026.
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Saturday, October 24, 2026
Anaheim Union High School District
District proposes joining litigation over alleged social-media and video-game harms
Alum Rock Union Elementary School District
District schedules response to threatened Brown Act lawsuit over video conferencing
Sutter Union High School District
Board to consider initiating social-media addiction litigation
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Latest California stories
Oakland Unified School District
OUSD approves $671,000 in school-based gender-violence support
The Board approved a one-year, $671,000 agreement with Family Violence Law Center for Gender-Based Violence Specialists at Oakland High School, Madison Park Academy, Dewey Academy, Oakland Technical High School, and Ralph J. Bunche Academy. The agreement runs September 24, 2026, through September 24, 2027, and provides prevention, crisis support, case management, referrals, and weekly trauma-informed groups.
Oakland Unified School District
OUSD proposes an $8.2 million expansion of special-education mental-health services
OUSD proposed raising its Invo Healthcare contract ceiling from $70,000 to $8.27 million for unchanged intensive outpatient mental-health services through June 30, 2029. The district says more than 400 students have mental-health services in their IEPs, and its own staffing cannot provide the intensive support needed by the students Invo would serve.
Oakland Unified School District
CDE found missed deadlines in three OUSD discrimination-complaint appeals
The California Department of Education found OUSD missed the required 60-day complaint-response and 20-day appeal-response deadlines in three Uniform Complaint Procedure matters involving allegations of discrimination based on nationality, race or ethnicity, and religion. The September 23 agenda scheduled discussion of district corrective actions; the procedural findings do not establish that the underlying discrimination allegations were substantiated.
Oakland Unified School District
OUSD proposes school-based support for students affected by gender-based violence
At a September 23 special meeting, the Board was scheduled to consider a one-year agreement of up to $671,000 for one Gender-Based Violence Specialist at each of Oakland High School, Madison Park Academy, Dewey Academy, Oakland Technical High School, and Ralph J. Bunche Academy. Specialists would provide prevention, crisis support, case management, referrals, and weekly trauma-informed groups; each would maintain a caseload of at least 10 affected students.
Berkeley Unified School District
Berkeley USD responds to lead-paint concern at John Muir Elementary
Berkeley USD said it is investigating a lead-paint concern at John Muir Elementary, has engaged an environmental consultant and qualified industry professionals, and is communicating with families while determining next steps.
Anaheim Union High School District
District rescinds $1 million kitchen equipment bid award due to public-notice error
The board is scheduled to rescind its June 11, 2026 award of RFP 2026-30 (Kitchen Equipment and Related Supplies, worth roughly $1.02 million across four vendors) after the advertising agency failed to meet legal public-notice publication timelines required under the Public Contract Code.
Parent describes emergency-response gaps at tournament
At the Sept. 8 meeting, a parent recounted an active-shooter emergency during a water-polo tournament, saying shots came from the Independence High School campus and students from multiple schools sheltered at an aquatic center. She said the gates were not locked to outsiders and no district or school administrators were present at the time, and urged event-wide emergency plans and designated contacts.
San Francisco Unified School District
Parents report continuing unsafe lead levels during work at Chinese Immersion School
At the September 8 board meeting, multiple speakers—including a parent and a student—raised concerns about lead-remediation work at the Chinese Immersion School. A parent said post-cleaning tests still showed unsafe interior and exterior lead levels, while another speaker reported that children had been in a bathroom with high lead levels before families were notified.
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Franklin-McKinley Elementary School District
Public hearing held on Rocketship Mosaic Elementary charter renewal petition
The board held a public hearing on September 8, 2026 to consider the petition to renew the Rocketship Mosaic Elementary charter school, with a slide deck presentation on the renewal.
Board approves up-to-$20,000 settlement of special-education claims
On September 3, the Board unanimously approved a compromise agreement resolving potential and threatened claims by a student's parents, including up to $20,000 for privately incurred educational services.
Acalanes Union High School District
Board approves $190,000 litigation settlement; district portion $105,196
In minutes for the August 5, 2026 meeting (approved September 2, 2026), the board reported that in closed session it approved, 5-0, a settlement in Contra Costa County Superior Court Case No. C25-00716, with a total payment of $190,000 to Jayla Thelemaque, of which the district will pay $105,196.22 and the remainder paid by the district's joint powers authority.
Alum Rock Union Elementary School District
Board responds to Civil Grand Jury report citing $52.8M in bond spending without oversight
The Board of Trustees adopted a formal response to the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report "Known Problems, Unfinished Solutions," agreeing that the district spent approximately $52.8 million in bond funds from 2021-22 through 2024-25 while its Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) was not functioning, and acknowledging serious governance, transparency, and structural budget deficit risks. The Board committed to a dozen new Standard Operating Procedures, a retrospective CBOC review of the bond spending, and long-term financial and facilities planning by set 2026-2027 deadlines.
San Francisco Unified School District
Families report lead concerns during construction at Chinese Immersion School
Parents told the Board that testing found lead in playyards at Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila while lead-paint removal and waterproofing work continued during the school year, and asked SFUSD to pause the work and clean affected areas.
Plan identifies chronic absenteeism as a major school concern
The 2026-27 Targeted Student Population plan says 30% of Mack students were chronically absent, an increase of 1.5 percentage points, and identifies the school in the California Dashboard’s Red performance level for chronic absenteeism.
Jefferson Elementary School District
Workforce Housing Project construction-claim litigation settled
The board approved a settlement agreement in closed session resolving anticipated litigation with contractor C. Overaa & Co. over a construction contract claim related to the Workforce Housing Project. Under the settlement, both sides waive claims against each other except for any latent deficiency claims.
School plan flags a sharp drop in English Learner graduation
Verdugo Hills' approved school plan says its English Learner graduation rate fell to 71.1% for the 2025 dashboard, down 25.7 percentage points from the prior year's 96.8%.
Knollwood plan identifies high chronic absenteeism among English learners
Knollwood's FY 2026-27 Targeted Student Population plan reports 38.2% chronic absenteeism for English learners in the 2025 California Dashboard data, up 1.9 percentage points. The plan proposes targeted vocabulary and comprehension support plus social-emotional check-ins.
Cinnabar Elementary School District
Enrollment drops by 46 students in one year
Cinnabar reported 123 students in August 2026, down from 169 in August 2025—a decline of 46 students, or about 27 percent.
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Kennedy High campus closes while district plans temporary relocation
After preliminary testing found underground PCE at Kennedy High, West Contra Costa Unified restricted campus entry and began planning where students would start the school year while further testing continued.
Las Lomitas Elementary School District
La Entrada after-school opening awaits state license
Champions plans to operate La Entrada's new grades 4–8 after-school program, but the district warned that it may not be licensed by the first day of school.
Brentwood Union School District
Family publicly raises unresolved safety and notification concerns after an April 2026 incident at Krey Elementary
At board meetings on May 13 and July 15, 2026, a Krey Elementary family submitted public comment describing a student-safety incident on April 21, 2026, and raising concerns about the school's medical response, timeliness of parent notification, and handling of a report involving another student, and asked the board for an independent investigation.
Petaluma Joint Union High School District
FY27 budget projects a $14.8M May cash gap
The combined Petaluma City Schools budget projects a negative $14.8 million cash position in May 2027 because receipts arrive after major disbursements.
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