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SDLA Compliance Resource

Maintain a Functioning School English Learner Advisory Committee

A parent-elected advisory body with lawful composition, training, open meetings, required advice, and an effective handoff to school planning and DELAC.

  • ELAC
  • English Learners
  • Family Engagement
Date(s)Annual locally scheduled cycle; establish at each public school with 21 or more English learners
Applies toCalifornia public schools enrolling 21 or more English learners

In Plain Language: Ensure EL parents elect parent members, the committee’s composition reflects the required EL-parent proportion, members receive consultation-based training, meetings follow open-meeting rules, and the school responds to required advice.

Why this matters

ELAC is not a staff presentation audience. It creates a formal route for families closest to the program to examine needs, attendance, planning, and services and to influence school decisions.

Primary ownership

Primary owner: principal or EL program designee for support and compliance; ELAC members own their advice and elections. Partners: EL parents, teachers, SSC/SPSA lead, attendance, DELAC representative, interpreters, and district EL staff.

From the 21-pupil trigger to a functioning school ELAC: the SDLA ITO workflow

Parents elect the members, and the school responds to the advice the committee must give. This SDLA ITO (Input, Transformation, Output) graphic shows how the school's English learner count, election information, and member input become the election and membership records, the training materials, and the advice and responses.

SDLA ITO: eleven steps from the school's English learner count, election information, and member input, through the trigger check, elections, training, and advisory meetings, to the election and membership records, the training materials, and the advice and responses.
Read down each column, then move to the next: Input identifies what to collect; Transformation covers the trigger check, elections, training, and advisory meetings; Output covers the election and membership records, the training materials, and the advice and responses. Establish at each public school with 21 or more English learners, on an annual locally scheduled cycle.

Open the full-size workflow graphic

Operational workflow

  1. Verify the 21-EL trigger and publish accessible election information to all EL families.
  2. Conduct parent elections; document composition and elect at least one DELAC representative or use the authorized representation scheme.
  3. Consult members about needs, then provide adequate training and materials.
  4. Calendar open meetings for required advisory work, including school needs, EL program/SPSA, attendance awareness, and other current duties.
  5. Record recommendations and the school/district response; hand district-level advice to DELAC.

Implementation pathway

Trigger/roster
Parent election
Composition/training
Advisory meetings
Response/DELAC

Evidence to retain

  • EL count and trigger
  • Election notice/ballots/results
  • Membership/composition
  • Training materials
  • Agendas, minutes, advice, and responses

Official guidance and help

Source review completed August 30, 2026. Verify current federal and California requirements, CDE/FCC guidance, local policy, public-meeting procedures, records, and final submitted or adopted state before acting.