Williams Legislation Oversight

The Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) Williams Team monitors schools identified by the California Department of Education for instructional materials, facilities, School Accountability Report Cards, Teacher Misassignments, and Complaint Procedures in accordance with Ed. Code § 1240, subdivision (I).

The CDE list of schools identified 124 schools in Alameda County eligible for Williams monitoring.

Williams Settlement Summary

The Williams Settlement Legislation stems from a class-action lawsuit, Williams v. State of California, enacted into law in September 2004. As a result of the settlement, California legislators passed five pieces of legislation to ensure all students have access to the following:

Standards-aligned textbooks and instructional materials
Qualified teachers who are appropriately certificated and assigned
Facilities that are clean, safe, and in good repair
Accurate reporting on the School Accountability Report Card (SARC)
Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP) to provide guidance on how to file alleged violations

ACOE Williams Monitoring and Annual Reports

The ACOE Williams Monitoring team helps prepare and guide Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in Williams compliance by training district, charter management organization, and school site administrators in preparation for annual Williams "validation visits" in August and September.

Responsibilities include:

Conducting annual visits to schools during the first four weeks of class
Determining whether all students have sufficient access to instructional materials in all core subject areas
Ensuring that school facilities are maintained in "good repair" and that buildings and grounds are safe, clean and functional
Verifying the accuracy of School Accountability Report Cards relevant to instructional materials, facilities, and teacher credentialing
Ensuring the school has posted the district's Uniform Complaint Procedures or adheres to the charter school's mandatory complaint procedure requirements, and that district quarterly UCP reports are submitted

ACOE is required to publish annual reports on the results of the school site “validation visits” conducted under the Williams legislation:

Filing a Complaint

School District Complaints & Appeals

By statute, the Alameda County Office of Education does not handle school district complaints and appeals. If you would like to file a complaint, please contact your school district and follow their UCP complaint procedures. If you need further assistance regarding a school district complaint, please see the links below from CDE:
- CDE Uniform Complaint Procedures
- CDE Appeal Assistance Form

Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) Complaints

The Alameda County Office of Education has established local complaint policies that describe the procedures that must be followed to resolve complaints related to ACOE Student Programs & Services (SPaS). More resources and information about complaint procedures can be found below.

Uniform Complaint Procedures Notices and Forms

SPaS Williams Complaint: Notice to Parents, Guardians, Pupils and Teachers

RESOURCES

For Williams Inspectors only

2023-24 Data Entry Tools

Contact Us

Anika Patterson
Director,
Strategic District and School Support
(510) 670-4171
apatterson@acoe.org

Sierra Falcon
Project Director,
Accountability Partnerships
(510) 670-4557
sfalcon@acoe.org

Alma Carino
Project Director,
School Performance Framework
(510) 670-4252
acarino@acoe.org

Yosaira Espinoza
Program Manager,
District & School Support
(510) 670-4542
yespinoza@acoe.org

Phillip Owens
Administrative Assistant
(510) 670-4236
phillipo@acoe.org

Karen Mitchell
Administrative Assistant
(510) 670-4212
kmitchell@acoe.org

Sierra Falcon
Project Director,
Accountability Partnerships
(510) 670-4557
sfalcon@acoe.org

Alma Carino
Project Director,
School Performance Framework
(510) 670-4252
acarino@acoe.org