_{Thumbnail photo courtesy of Michael Hawkins}

Nearly two months after the early childhood education director retired, Del Norte Unified School District officials are considering turning the job into a position that requires a teaching credential.

Superintendent Jeff Harris presented the idea — and a job description for a certificated ECE director — to the Board of Trustees on Feb. 12. The district has been hiring for an ECE director as a classified position since October and has had no applicants, he said.

Harris referred to the proposed certificated ECE director position as another option for the Board of Trustees to consider as it looks to fill the two-month-long vacancy. DNUSD Assistant Superintendent of Education Services Tom Kissinger is currently the acting ECE director.

Del Norte Unified is launching a new workshop series that urges parents to not only advocate for their special needs child, but be a voice for special education issues at a regional level.

DNUSD’s six-week IEP Empowerment Series starts Feb. 5, Special Education Executive Director Jennifer Armington told Redwood Voice Community News. Its goal is for DNUSD to offer a place where parents can air their concerns about special education issues as well as to arm them with information they need to advocate for their children, she said.

A larger goal is to get parents involved in DNUSD’s Collaborating on Meaningful Parent Advocacy for Student Success, or COMPASS, group. One or two parents involved in that group can then bring Del Norte-specific concerns to the committee advising the Humboldt-Del Norte Special Education Local Plan Area.