A public charter school targeted by the Santa Clara County Office of Education is fighting to retain its charter.
Bullis Charter School in the Los Altos School District is facing accusations of discrimination by the county Board of Education that it’s under-enrolling Hispanic English-language learners, students with disabilities and socio-economically disadvantaged students. Maureen Israel, superintendent and principal of Bullis Charter School, said these claims are baseless and the county office of education is ignoring its recent data. Students are chosen through a lottery.
Approximately 1,026 students attend the TK-8 public charter school, where 32 languages are spoken. Bullis doesn’t discriminate against students in its lottery process, Israel said, and revised its charter two years ago to add a preference for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch in and out of district. Information provided to potential students is in English, Spanish and Mandarin. The school also employs workers who speak multiple languages.