Family Resources

If your child attends an OUSD K-12 school or participating charter, simply submit a request to your school site’s main office, principal or resource specialist.

If your child attends a private school but you reside in Oakland, email your request to Barbara.Kass@ousd.org or submit a written request in person at 915 54th Street, Oakland, CA 94608.

If your child is between the ages of 3 and 5 and attends an OUSD Early Childhood center, private preschool or no school, you can visit the Burbank Early Childhood Center’s website to submit your request.

You can ask your child’s case manager for a copy of the most recent IEP. If you are unsure who your case manager is, or if you would like a copy of your child’s complete special education records, you can submit a request to spedrecords@ousd.org.

During the regular school year, you can request an IEP meeting from your child’s Special Education case manager or school site principal at any time, and a meeting must be scheduled and held within 30 days.

You can reach out to your child’s school site to inquire, or you can contact our main office at (510) 879-5003.

You are legally entitled to receive progress updates at least as frequently as students without IEPs receive progress through report cards. If you need a copy of progress notes, simply ask your child’s case manager. If you would like to request copies of service logs, you may ask your child’s case manager or the Special Education Director for your child’s grade level.

Your child is entitled to reasonable accommodations to access programs and services outside of the core school day. This includes things like summer school, afterschool programs, athletics, and special events. You can choose to disclose your child’s status as a child with an IEP, and you can request reasonable accommodations from the agency or primary contact of the extracurricular program. With your permission, our staff can share your child’s IEP with afterschool agencies, athletic coaches or other personnel to inform such reasonable accommodations.

We highly encourage eligible families to become a client of the Regional Center and avail themselves of the services RCEB offers. You can find information about eligibility and complete the application at rceb.org.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is available to support the basic care of children with disabilities, provided the child is under 18, the parent/guardian has limited income, and the disability is expected to last longer than one month. You can learn more about eligibility requirements and apply for coverage at www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/apply-child.html.

We encourage students with IEPs to pursue paid employment. Work permits can be found here, along with an explanation of the requirements to keep the permit active.

Each year, the Department sends applications to families of eligible students in March. The application window remains open through March and April. Notifications are sent to the primary number in Aeries, our student information system, and are generated through a system called Oscar. If your child has ESY in their IEP and you did not receive any communication from Oscar, please contact us at (510) 879-5003.

Transportation is governed by SELPA policy and is provided if indicated in a child’s IEP. To sign up for transportation, complete the form found here. This form must be completed annually to ensure accuracy of transportation information. OUSD provides vehicles, public transportation passes, and mileage reimbursement options. Note that many OUSD schools are eligible for free AC Transit passes for any student, regardless of disability status, as well.

There are many things that you can do to support your child in the home and community setting. We recommend that you engage your child in ongoing household tasks and errands. Simple things like setting the table, folding clothes, or making a purchase at the grocery store can help reinforce sequencing, functional math, and independent living skills. Read to your child every day or have them read to you, and talk about what you see in the books or how the story makes you feel. You can use real-world items that interest your child to practice skills like sorting and counting (e.g. lining up action figures and counting them or ordering them by size). Older students benefit from learning about the world of work by visiting family members’ jobs, doing chores at home, or practicing skills like typing, filing and shredding. Finally, we encourage families to seek out services from community providers like the Regional Center, California Childrens’ Services, Center for Independent Living or the Department of Rehabilitation to supplement what is happening at school. If you wish to learn more about supporting your child’s motor or speech development, please review our practice guides here.