Educational Equity Resources

Neurodiversity Resources

JUSD Promise- By fostering a growth mindset in every child, Jurupa Unified School District empowers each child to unlock their potential and succeed in school, in career, and in life. We call this Learning Without Limits- the promise we make and pledge to uphold- to our students, their families and our community. Our commitment aligns with California Senate Bill 939. SB 939 adds support specifically for neurodivergent students.

SB 939 calls for sharing resources. The University of California and California State University Collaborative for Neurodiversity and Learning offer many helpful resources.

Who are neurodivergent people?

A neurodivergent person’s brain functions, learns, and interacts with the world differently. Neurodiversity is the concept that there is natural variation in how people’s brain work, with no single “correct” way, and that a wide range of perceptions and responses to the world should be accepted and encouraged.

How can I find resources?

The UC/CSU Collaborative provides high-quality, accessible support for students, parents/guardians, and educators.

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Bullying and Cyberbullying

Bullying

The District recognizes the harmful effects of bullying on student well-being, student learning, and school attendance and desires to provide a safe school environment that protects students from physical and emotional harm. Accordingly, bullying is prohibited at any location, whether on or off campus, that affects students or school activity under the jurisdiction of the JUSD. Any student, parent/ guardian, or other individual who believes that a student has been subjected to bullying or who has witnessed bullying are strongly encouraged to report the incident to a teacher, the principal, a compliance officer, or any other available school employee.

Reporting Bullying

Immediately tell a teacher, counselor, administrator or a trusted adult
Complete the bullying complaint form and submit it to the department of Educational Equity.
Call Educational Equity (951) 360-4140

AR 5131.2 Bullying

BP 5131.2 Bullying

What is Bullying?

Bullying is defined as any severe, systemic, or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct that causes pain or psychological distress on one or more students. Bullying includes unwanted written, verbal, nonverbal, or physical behavior including, but not limited to, any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture by a student or adult that causes any reasonable person to experience a detrimental effect on his or her physical or mental health and that has the potential to create a negative educational environment; unreasonably interferes with the individual’s school performance or participation, is carried out repeatedly and is often characterized by an imbalance of power.

Types of Bullying

Physical Bullying
Verbal Bullying
Social Bullying
Cyberbullying

Bullying Prevention Resources for students

Bullying Prevention Resources for families

California Department of Education Bullying Prevention Training & Resources
https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/bullyres.asp

What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.

The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

Social Media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok
Text messaging and messaging apps on mobile or tablet devices
Instant messaging, direct messaging, and online chatting over the internet
Online forums, chat rooms, and message boards
Email and Online gaming communities

The following links provide tips and resources for students and parents to prevent them from being a target of, or participating in, cyberbullying.

Common Sense Media https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
StopBullying.gov

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McKinney-Vento Homeless

Student Rights & Resources

JUSD Promise- By fostering a growth mindset in every child, Jurupa Unified School District empowers each child to unlock their potential and succeed in school, in career, and in life. We call this Learning Without Limits- the promise we make and pledge to uphold- to our students, their families and our community. JUSD administers a housing questionnaire annually, which can be provided in the parents or youth’s primary language upon request. The survey can be accessed online, and/or a hard copy can also be available.

For questions and or assistance, please contact JUSD Homeless Youth Liaison, Olga Alferez, Director of Educational Equity, at (951) 360-4140 and or Homeless Youth Counselor, Mariana Lopez-Ramos, at (951) 360-4140.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act for Homeless Children and Youth entitle all school-aged children experiencing homelessness to the same free and appropriate public education that is provided to non-homeless students.

A student experiencing homelessness is defined as a person between the ages of birth (Early Head Start and Head Start Programs) and twenty-two (special education students) who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and may temporarily:

Live in an emergency or transitional shelter; abandoned building, parked car, or other facilities not designed as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
Live “doubled up” with another family, due to loss of housing stemming from financial problems (e.g., loss of job, eviction, or natural disaster);
Live in a hotel or motel;
Live in a trailer park or campsite with their family;
Have been abandoned at a hospital;
Be awaiting foster placement in limited circumstances;
Be an unaccompanied youth not in the physical custody of a parent/guardian who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

A homeless student has the right:

to immediate enrollment in the student’s school of origin or school where the student is currently residing without proof of residency, immunization records or tuberculosis skin-test results, school records, or legal guardianship papers.
to education and other services (e.g., participate fully in all school activities and programs for which the child is eligible, automatically qualify for the nutrition program, receive transportation services to the school of origin if feasible, and contact the liaison to resolve disputes that arise during enrollment), or payment of outstanding fees, fines or unreturned items, required clothing (e.g., uniforms)
for the district to accept partial credits for courses that have been satisfactorily completed by the homeless student.
to be notified of the possibility of graduating within four years with reduced state requirements, if the homeless student transferred after the second year of high school, is credit deficient, and will not be able to graduate by the end of their 12th grade year, under local district requirements.
to attend either the school of origin (school that the student was last enrolled in or attended when last housed or any school attended in the past fifteen (15) months) or the current school of residence.

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RIGHTS OF FOSTER YOUTH

EC 48853.5

For the standardized statewide notice of these rights, visit Foster Youth Education Rights- Foster Youth Services (CA Dept of Education www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/fy/fyedrights.asp. )

For assistance, contact JUSD Foster Youth Liaison, Olga Alferez, Director of Educational Equity, at (951) 360-4140 or email at olga_alferez@jusd.k12.ca.us. You can also contact, Foster Youth Counselor, Mariana Lopez Ramos at (951) 360-4140 or email at mariana_lopezramos@jusd.k12.ca.us .

A foster child (also referred to as foster youth) is defined as any of the following:

A child removed from their home under Welfare and Institution Code (WIC) 309.
A child who is the subject of a petition filed under WIC 300 or 602 whether removal has occurred.
A dependent child of a tribal court under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe, consortium of tribes, or tribal organization, consistent with tribal law.
A child who is the subject of a voluntary placement agreement as defined in WIC 11400 (p).

Foster youth have specific educational rights designed to support stability and academic success. These include:

Foster youth have the right to remain in the school of origin, which is any school attended within the past 15 months. A Best Interest determination meeting will be coordinated with the Educational Rights Holder and school of origin and school of residence stakeholders. If a dispute arises, the student has the right to remain in the school of origin while the dispute is resolved.
Foster youth must be enrolled immediately with foster placement documents, even without typically required documents for enrollment (e.g., proof of residency, birth certificate, immunizations, transcripts), required clothing (such as uniforms), or payment of outstanding fees, fines, or unreturned items.
The foster youth’s educational right holder, attorney, and county social worker must be notified of any expulsion or disciplinary proceeding, including manifestation determination reviews for students with disabilities, before a change in placement occurs.
A foster youth’s grades may not be lowered due to absences resulting from verified court appearances, court-ordered activities, or placement changes. Grades must reflect the students’ performance as of the date they left the school.
Foster youth have the right to receive full and partial credits for coursework completed and to have those credits accepted by the new school.
Foster youth have priority access to intersession programs. If the student moves during intersession, the educational right holder determines which program the student will attend.
Alleged violations of foster youth education rights may be addressed through JUSD Uniform Complaint Procedures.

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Body Shaming

JUSD is committed to cultivating a school environment where every individual, regardless of body size, shape, or appearance, feels valued, accepted, and safe. Body shaming in any form is strictly prohibited. This includes, but it is not limited to, unsolicited comments, gestures, or digital communication that mock, stigmatize, or draw attention to an individual’s physical appearance. Assembly Bill 10 was passed into law with the stated purpose of providing students with the knowledge and skills they need to develop healthy attitudes concerning, among other things, body image.

What is Body Shaming?

CDE and collaborates define body shaming as the mocking, stigmatizing, or commenting on a person’s body or appearance, which is perceived as negative, whether it is someone else’s or one’s own, regardless of the intent. It includes opinions, comparisons, observations, or gestures that result in emotional or mental harm, and demeans, judges, or marginalizes an individual based on their body or physical appearance. It may occur verbally, nonverbally, or online on social media and other digital platforms, and can escalate into social aggression, bullying, sexual violence and harassment, and cyberbullying.

Response Protocols

The District will:

Provide confidential, accessible reporting systems for students and staff
Use restorative, non-punitive responses to address incidents
Convene response teams that include student support personnel
Notify parents/guardians and offer appropriate support when incidents occur
Track and review data on incidents to inform policy refinement
Regularly review the policy with input from students, staff, and families

Resources:

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Attendance

Attend Today Succeed for Life!

Systems of Support- Through equity and inclusion ensure that each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged by focusing on the long-term development and success of all students. Being present and engaged is important to achieve this goal.

Each person in California between the ages of 6 and 18 years, who is not legally exempt, is subject to compulsory school attendance. Each parent or guardian has the responsibility to send students to school for the entire school day as designated by the Board of Education. A major goal of the District is the improvement of attendance. While the district cannot guarantee that “learning will occur just because a child is in school,” it can guarantee that learning will not take place if the child is absent. There is a strong correlation between attendance and learning. Good attendance generally leads to improved learning.

Every Day Counts: Partnering for Student Success

Every single day plays a vital role in your child’s educational journey. When a student misses school-even just one or two days a month it quickly adds up to lost learning time, making it harder to keep pace with their classmates.

Regular attendance does so much than just keep students on track academically. It helps them:

Build strong academic and social skills through hands on classroom experiences.
Form lasting connections with peers and teachers.
Develop healthy routines and habits that set them up for lifelong success.

By making school a daily priority, you are building a powerful foundation for your child’s future. Thank you for your continued support in making every school day count!

What is Excellent Attendance?

Prioritizing school attendance helps students achieve excellent attendance. Here are simple ways to stay on track:

Be present every day
Arrive on time
Closely monitoring absences to ensure students do not miss more than (7) days throughout the school year. This practice helps keep them on track and guarantees they do not miss vital academic instruction.
Communicating with school regularly.

Excellent attendance means maintaining a 96% or higher attendance rate. This equates to accumulating seven (7) or less total absences throughout one school year. Maintaining excellent attendance is essential for the academic success of all students throughout the school year. This means being present at school every day and arriving on time. If a student must be absent, it is important for parents and guardians to monitor those absences, ensuring that the total does not surpass seven days during the academic year.

Saturday School

Saturday School is an opportunity for JUSD to recover Average Daily Attendance (ADA) revenue for students in grades TK-12 who were absent from school for truancy and absences whether excused or unexcused. Absences due to suspension are not recoverable revenue. Students may not attend Saturday School in anticipation of an absence.

Saturday School is an opportunity for a school site to improve its a annual attendance.
Saturday School allows students to make-up an absence from their attendance record.
Saturday School allows students and the school to have extended learning opportunities to provide academic assistance and materials missed during an absence.

Saturday School is held from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on specific Saturdays. Saturday School is offered at each site. If interested, please contact the attendance office at your child’s school.

If you have any questions regarding attendance, please contact your child’s school or the office of Educational Equity at (951) 360-4140.

Independent Study

Parents can request a Short-Term Independent Study Contract if their student needs to be absent from school for an extended period due to unforeseen circumstances, such as family travel or a family emergency. Parents are responsible for supervising their students’ completion of the Independent Study Agreement.

A Shor-Term Independent Study Contract is a formal, written agreement between the parent and the school. To receive attendance and academic credit, specific conditions outlined in the contract must be met.

It is important to note that participation in independent study is always voluntary and must be the parent’s choice. The District cannot require a student to participate. If a student has an IEP or a 504 plan, enrollment in independent study is considered a placement decision. Such participation is only permitted if the student’s IEP or Section 504 Plan specifically allows it, and an IEP or 504 meeting must be held before any change of placement.

For further information, please contact the attendance office at your child’s school. You may also contact the Office of Educational Equity at (951) 360-4140.

Home Hospital Instruction

Temporary home instruction may be provided by Jurupa Unified School District for any student who must be hospitalized or remain at home for a minimum of four consecutive weeks due to a temporary but extended illness or disability that has been certified by a physician qualified to diagnose the condition. A temporary disability does not include a disability for which a student is identified as having exceptional needs (i.e. an identified Special Education student).

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