This came over the transom from the office of Sen. Bob Huff:

Senator Huff Supports Palm Lane Elementary Students

Parents of Students Move to Implement Parent Trigger Act

SACRAMENTO: Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) issued words of support today for students at Palm Lane Elementary School in the Anaheim City School District, as concerned parents prepare to take action to implement the Parent Trigger Act. Senator Huff has been a leader in expanding school choice for parents and students through legislation that he authored with former Senator Gloria Romero, leading to the creation of California’s nationally recognized parent trigger law.

The law gives California parents the ability to intervene in their child’s school if it is performing poorly. With enough signatures from parents, any number of actions can be taken against low performing schools. These can include converting it to a charter school, replacing some of the school’s administration and faculty or closing the school altogether. A group of concerned Palm Lane Elementary School parents have reported that they plan to turn in in the required number of signatures to implement changes under the parent trigger law.

“Research continues to indicate that high level parental involvement in the education of their children leads to greater success in the classroom,” said Senator Huff. “I applaud these parents for using the tools available to them to help turn their childrens’ schools around to help their kids get the quality education they deserve.”

Senator Huff was first approached by a group of parents from Palm Lane Elementary last year. They expressed concerns regarding the school’s academic performance and asked Senator Huff for assistance. In 2013, the California Department of Education reported that Palm Lane Elementary School had an Academic Performance Index (API) score of 746. This represented a drop in performance when compared to previous years and ranked the school in the bottom 20 percent of California schools.

“I’d like to work closely with all sides of this issue to help implement positive changes that will lead to a better education for all children served by Palm Lane Elementary School,” said Senator Huff. There is nothing to fear from positive change that comes with parental input and involvement. Communities in Los Angeles, Compton and Adelanto have already benefitted from the parent trigger law. All California children deserve the best education that we can provide.”

Senator Huff serves as the Senate Republican Leader and represents the 29th Senate District covering portions of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Follow Senator Huff on Twitter at @bobhuff99.