According to this article in yesterday's SFGate, "at least 170 California charter schools are violating the state Constitution by requiring parents to volunteer up to 100 hours a year..." The study examined half of all charters in California, and found that 1/3 of them were in violation on these grounds. The report was released by civil rights attorneys working for the nonprofit law firm, Public Advocates. According to the article, the California Charter School Association "agreed it's illegal and often included in parent charter agreements."
One of the reasons the RVCS petition was denied by RVSD was this very issue. In addition, such a requirement, or even the suggestion of such a requirement, has the effect of dissuading certain parents from enrolling their children in such a setting. The current MAP program has historically had this requirement, and strongly suggests and encourages parent volunteerism currently. Parents who are working multiple jobs, or who do not speak English, may very well feel that their child should not participate in MAP, because of this strong parent volunteer culture. Though not intentional discrimination, the recent third party discrimination report listed this as a barrier to welcoming culturally diverse families.
We believe that all children in RVSD should have equal access to, and feel welcomed by, all RVSD programs.