CHAPTER 6: Family Engagement
- English Learner Advisory Committees (ELAC)
The California Department of Education (CDE) requires that California public schools with 21 or more English learners form an English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC).
Please contact your school for site-specific ELAC meeting dates.
The Office of Educational Services has created an ELAC Accountability Plan to ensure schools have functioning ELACs.
English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) Protocol & Accountability Plan 2023/2024
Responsibilities & Steps for Delegating ELACs’ Responsibilities to School Site Council
- Responsibilities (English Learner Program Instrument):
- Steps for ELAC to Delegate to SSC:
- 1. Parents of ALL students are notified of an Informational Meeting regarding the formation of ELAC at the site.
- 2. ELAC committee members are elected by parents/guardians of English Learners only via ballots sent home or emailed Google forms ballots.
- 3. ELAC members are trained by the site on ELACs’ legal responsibilities.
- 4. At the end of the Initial Training, ELAC members vote on whether they want to delegate ELAC’s responsibilities to the SSC or remain as a functioning ELAC. They record this vote in the ELAC minutes.
*They must first ensure that the SSC currently meets or will soon hold elections that would allow them to meet the parent composition requirement outlined above. If not, they must remain a functioning ELAC.
- 5. If ELAC votes to delegate responsibilities to the SSC, the SSC must vote to accept ELAC’s authority and document this acceptance in the SSC minutes. This action is only effective for up to twelve months from the date of the ELAC election, not from the date of delegation.
- 6. SSC is trained by the site ELAC Advisor on their new additional legal responsibilities.
- 7. SSC minutes document advice given on the ELAC-mandated tasks as they are reviewed and discussed during regular SSC meetings throughout the school year.
- 8. The school site elects or assigns DELAC representatives (first representative must be an EL parent, second representative may be an EL parent, non-EL parent, site staff, or site support staff).
- 9. The SSC agenda must allow time to discuss ELAC’s mandated tasks and DELAC reports.
- District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC)
According to the California Department of Education (CDE), each California public school district with 51 or more English learners must form a District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) unless the district designates for this purpose a subcommittee of an existing districtwide advisory committee.
DELAC is made up of elected representatives from each school's English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC), a school-based committee required if there are more than 21 English Learners at that school.
According to the CDE, the DELAC's responsibilities are:
- Development of an LEA master plan, including policies, per the State Board of Education (SBE) EL Roadmap Policy, guiding the consistent implementation of EL educational programs and services, that takes into consideration the SPSAs.
- Conducting a district-wide needs assessment on a school-by-school basis.
- Establishment of LEA program, goals, and objectives for programs and services for ELs per the SBE adopted EL Roadmap Policy.
- Development of a plan to ensure compliance with any applicable teacher and/or teacher aide requirements.
- Review and comment on the school district reclassification procedures.
- Review and comment on the written notifications required to be sent to parents and guardians.
- If the DELAC acts as the English learner parent advisory committee under California Education Code Sections 52063(b)(1) and 52062(a)(2), the DELAC shall also review and comment on the development or annual update of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) or Learning Continuity Plan.
The LCAP is a three-year plan that describes the goals, actions, services, and expenditures to support positive student outcomes that address state and local priorities. The LCAP provides an opportunity for local educational agencies (LEAs) to share their stories of how, what, and why programs and services are selected to meet their local needs.
- Composition Requirements
Parents or guardians of English learners shall constitute the majority membership (51 percent or more) of the committee.
- Elections
Each school's English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) shall have the opportunity to elect at least one of its members to be a site representative DELAC member. To meet the composition requirement above, the first elected representative from each site must be the parent of a current EL (not IFEP or RFEP) who is currently enrolled at the site s/he represents.
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Trainings
School districts shall provide DELAC members with appropriate training and training materials that will assist them in carrying out their required advisory responsibilities. Training shall be planned in full consultation with committee members.
The 2023-2024 PYLUSD DELAC meeting dates: