Innovate was proud to gather families, educators, advocates, and district leaders on November 5 at the Southeast Community Center for Families First: Special Education & Solutions in SFUSD. Together, we confronted a difficult truth: too many San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are not receiving the services they’re entitled to.
With more than 40 open positions in the district’s Special Education Department, the strain on families and educators has become untenable. Parents shared firsthand experiences of navigating complex IEP processes, gaps in communication, and the emotional toll of seeing their children’s needs go unmet. Educators spoke candidly about burnout and systemic challenges that make it difficult to stay in the classroom for more than two years.
But this conversation wasn’t just about identifying problems, it was also about finding solutions.
One of the most promising developments discussed was an AI-powered tool co-designed by parents and Innovate in partnership with Northeastern University’s Burnes Center for Social Change. AI for IEPs (AiEP) is a first-of-its-kind tool is designed to help parents better understand their children’s IEPs by translating documents into multiple languages, simplifying legal and educational jargon, summarizing key information, and even enabling natural conversation with the document through text or voice. The tool also provides personalized recommendations and checklists to help families prepare for meetings and advocate more effectively.
The event concluded with a collective commitment to action. A key next step will be securing a meeting with SFUSD’s new Assistant Superintendent of Special Education, Jennifer Jimenez Payne, to discuss strategies to close the hiring gap, strengthen teacher pipelines, and support retention among special education staff.
The message was clear: families, educators, and advocates are working to ensure every student receives the quality education and support they deserve. By combining community-driven innovation and accountability from district leadership, we can make that vision a reality.