LA HABRA

Next week’s parent-teacher conferences may be more difficult than usual, La Habra City Schools Supt. Richard Hermann warned at Thursday’s board meeting, as parents hear from teachers whether their children are at risk for retention under the state’s new retention law.

La Habra elementary and middle schools will be closed for parent-teacher conferences Nov. 19. Students will have shortened days Nov. 16-18 to make time for conferences.

At the conferences, teachers will review specific ways parents can help students succeed in school and minimize the risk of retention. Parents might also be asked to sign an agreement emphasizing the need to help their children improve their academic performance.

Under the district’s promotion and retention policies, revised to be in line with the state’s new law, the principal or teacher is required to notify the parents when a student is at risk of being retained early in the school year. Promotion and retention hinge on mastery of district standards.