CA School District in Breach of Federal Class Action Dyslexia Lawsuit Settlement, Attorneys Say

In fall of 2021, Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) settled a groundbreaking federal class action dyslexia lawsuit claiming that the district failed to identify students with reading difficulties and provide the necessary support. Now, the district is in alleged breach of the terms of the settlement, according to a February 16th Berkeleyside article. Insiders say staff turnover and lack of urgency on behalf of the district have caused significant delays in making systemic changes required under the terms of the settlement. BUSD has already had to extend the terms of the settlement for an additional year due to implementation delays. Kareem Weaver, who sits on the Oakland chapter of the NAACP, is closely following the settlement and views literacy as a civil rights issue.

The settlement requires BUSD to implement a districtwide literacy improvement plan that includes screening all K-5 students for reading difficulties and implementing evidence-based literacy interventions. It also prohibits the use of Fountas & Pinnell’s Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) and Reading Recovery except in “exceptional circumstances.” BUSD must also revamp its Special Education and Section 504 policies and procedures. 

In addition, BUSD must evaluate the effectiveness of its Tier 1 curriculum in improving literacy. BUSD currently uses the controversial Lucy Calkins Units of Study with a phonics curriculum “patch.” 

DDCA reached out to BUSD parent of a child with dyslexia, Lindsay Nofelt, who, along with other concerned parents, has created a website so that BUSD parents and community members can stay informed about the progress of the BUSD Literacy Improvement Plan and what it means for their children. ReadingforBerkeley.org is working to build awareness and create more transparency surrounding BUSD’s progress toward fulfilling the terms of the literacy settlement — taking advantage of this opportunity to address the pervasive problem of how we teach kids to read. Lindsay states “No matter how you slice it, this is the right time to demonstrate that Berkeley prioritizes literacy. As educational partners, deeply and personally invested in the success of our community, we believe the key to academic equity is to promote early and successful reading.”

After a four-year-long legal battle to reach the settlement, DDCA questions how much more money BUSD will invest in attorneys fees before investing in improving literacy for all BUSD kids. DDCA hopes that the district’s new leadership, increased attention from the BUSD Board of Education, better public transparency with respect to progress reporting and implementation, and inclusion of parents in the implementation will result in systemic changes that will lead to BUSD being a model district for improving literacy acquisition that others can follow.

Please encourage family, friends, and colleagues to sign up for our DDCA emails to stay informed on dyslexia-related efforts in California. 

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Learn more about the settlement here:

DDCA blog

2021 Berkeleyside article

Breaking News: Federal Class Action Dyslexia Lawsuit Settlement Reached Against a CA School District!

BLOG UPDATE:  Watch the interview on our DDCA YouTube Channel.

On July 8, 2021, a proposed settlement was agreed to in a class action case filed on May 2, 2017, by four current and former Berkeley Unified School District (“BUSD”) students with reading disorders, including dyslexia (Student A. et al. v. Berkeley Unified School District  was filed in the federal court for the Northern District of California, Case No. 3:17-cv-02510). The Court has given preliminary approval of the settlement and has scheduled a hearing for November 4, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.

The students who brought the case claim that BUSD discriminates against and fails to provide students with reading disabilities a Free Appropriate Public Education (“FAPE”), to which they are entitled to under federal and state law. 

As a result of this settlement, BUSD will work collaboratively with nationally recognized outside consultants to develop and implement a Literacy Improvement Plan (“Plan”) to improve reading and language arts achievement for all students, and especially those with or at risk for reading disabilities. 

Settlement to Accomplish Four Plan Goals:

  • Goal 1: Develop Programs to Improve General Education Reading and Language Arts achievement for all Students, especially those Students with or at risk for Reading Disabilities, including Dyslexia.
  • Goal 2: Increase the Systematicity and Intensity of Tier 2 and 3 Reading and Language Arts Intervention of the MTSS Framework to Reduce the Achievement Gap for Students at risk for Reading Disabilities.
  • Goal 3: Ensure Fidelity of Literacy Improvement Program Implementation through District Monitoring of Literacy Improvement Program and Staff Engagement. 
  • Goal 4: Special Education Programs: Increase Reading Achievement by Improving the Quality of IEP Goals and Section 504 Plan Development, Progress Monitoring, and use of appropriately intensive, Research-based Interventions. 

Settlement Highlights Include:

  • BUSD will identify students at risk for reading disabilities through universal screening and universal screening will inform early intervention. BUSD will also conduct Benchmark Assessments in the fall, winter, and spring to ensure reading growth for all students. BUSD to implement a “reading data system” and “reading testing system” for use in Grades K-8 to measure students’ reading fluency, and their progress toward “benchmarks” or academic goals including parental notification. Testing will include, but not be limited to, letter sound correspondence, diagnostic surveys of print knowledge, phoneme awareness, phonics, word reading, spelling, written expression, and reading fluency.
  • For its Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) –

°BUSD has selected FastTrack as a supplement to its core language arts program (Tier 1). According to the scope and sequence for the adopted program, BUSD will provide appropriately intensive research-based phonics instruction at a frequency   estimated to be at least 115 minutes per five-day week, including time spent conducting assessments. Its core reading program will be supplemented to be of appropriate intensity in terms of academic English and explicit phonics and phoneme awareness instruction. Language for Learning, Language for Thinking, Wilson Fundations, Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness and Phonics – SIPPS and FastTrack are programs named as examples.

°Tier 2 and Tier 3 reading interventions must align with the International Dyslexia Association’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading. BUSD has selected Wilson Reading Systems and, for students with suspected reading disabilities,  will prohibit the use of Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention or Reading Recovery except in “exceptional circumstances”.

  • Special Education Programs – BUSD will transition from using the severe discrepancy model and adopt the Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses Model Weaknesses for specific learning disability eligibility. BUSD will increase use of the MTSS as part of the comprehensive evaluation to identify students with specific learning disabilities, including dyslexia. 
  • The settlement includes regular outside monitoring, hiring of nationally-recognized outside consultants, and professional development for staff and administrators.

Thank you to the team of plaintiff’s attorneys (Jacobson Education Law, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Goodwin Procter LLP, and King & Spalding LLP) who tirelessly worked on an either pro bono basis or at a mere fraction of their legal fees to represent these vulnerable families.