Board Adopts Immigration Protections, Confronts Achievement Gaps in Marathon Session

Cabrillo Unified's school board moved swiftly to codify immigration protections for students and families ahead of a state deadline, then spent the bulk of a three-and-a-half-hour meeting wrestling with two intertwined questions: whether the district's dual immersion program is set up to succeed, and why English learners continue to post some of the lowest achievement numbers in the county.

• Immigration policies adopted unanimously on first and final reading to meet a March 1 state deadline, with staff detailing campus enforcement protocols and family resources

• Dual immersion master plan reveals years of inconsistency — parents praise elementary fixes but flag serious concerns about the secondary pathway

• Zero percent math proficiency for English learners in grades 7 and 11 draws alarm as district enters final year of its LCAP cycle under state-mandated differentiated assistance

• $8.7M architect contract approved for a $91M+ Measure K modernization of Half Moon Bay High School, launching a three-phase build through 2030

• Labor peace signals: Both CUTA and CSEA announce tentative three-year agreements, with classified staff describing a transformation from formerly contentious negotiations

The board voted 5-0 to approve mandatory immigration-related policy updates on first and final reading, meeting a March 1, 2026, California Department of Education submission deadline. The policies align the district with California Attorney General guidance and California School Boards Association model language, establishing formal protocols for how staff should respond if immigration enforcement agents arrive on campus.