Sacramento County Office of Education
The Sacramento County Office of Education supports public school districts, operates schools and student programs, and provides services for families and educators. This article explains which education office to contact, where to find county-operated school information, how to locate special education and family rights resources, and where educators can get credential assistance or register for professional learning.
What the County Office Does
The Sacramento County Office of Education, commonly called SCOE, is a public education service agency and one of California’s 58 county offices of education. Its work includes direct instruction for students and support for the school districts that serve communities throughout Sacramento County.
SCOE provides technical assistance, curriculum and instructional support, staff development, and district oversight. Its responsibilities also include legal and financial support for school districts. These services help districts carry out their educational and administrative work; families generally need a different contact depending on the school, program, or issue involved.
The distinction between county services and district services matters. A school located in Sacramento County is not necessarily operated by SCOE. Likewise, a countywide service may support students in several districts without making SCOE the operator of those students’ schools. Identifying the school’s district or the name of the SCOE program involved helps you reach the appropriate staff.
County Office or School District?
SCOE’s public school district directory identifies districts serving Sacramento County and provides their contact information. It also shows the grade levels each district serves and includes references to school listings and school performance dashboards.
Grade coverage is particularly useful when several district names appear relevant. Arcohe Union, Elverta Joint, and Galt Joint Union Elementary serve kindergarten through eighth grade, while Robla serves kindergarten through sixth grade. Galt Joint Union High serves grades nine through twelve. Other districts in the directory, including Elk Grove Unified, Folsom Cordova Unified, Natomas Unified, Sacramento City Unified, San Juan Unified, and Twin Rivers Unified, serve kindergarten through twelfth grade.
For a question concerning a particular school, identify its full name and operating district before choosing a county office contact. Do not assume that a district’s name describes every grade level it serves. The separate elementary and high school districts in Galt illustrate why the grade range is worth checking.
The directory also includes Los Rios Community College District as a postsecondary institution. Its inclusion does not make it a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade school district or a SCOE-operated student program. Keep the type of institution in mind when selecting a contact.
County-Operated Schools and Program Sites
The SCOE school and program directory separates schools from additional program sites. It provides school names, grade ranges, administrators, and school-specific contact information. Use the individual entry when your question concerns a named campus rather than county education services generally.
Schools and Grade Levels
The directory identifies El Centro Junior/Senior High School, Elinor Lincoln Hickey Junior/Senior High School, Nathaniel S. Colley, Sr. Junior/Senior High School, and North Area Community School as serving grades seven through twelve. Leo A. Palmiter Junior/Senior High School serves grades six through twelve. Foundations Academy is identified as a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade program.
Similar names and shared locations can cause confusion. Hickey and Palmiter both have entries associated with Ethan Way, but they have different school names, grade ranges, and telephone contacts. A street location alone is therefore not enough to identify the correct school office. Match the school name on your correspondence with the directory entry.
Senior Extension and Other Sites
The additional program listings include Senior Extension locations at Colley, Cordova Lane, and Hickey. They also include the CARE Intervention Program, identified for grades seven through twelve, and Sly Park Environmental Education Center.
When contacting a Senior Extension program, specify the site as well as the program name. “Senior Extension” by itself does not identify which location you mean. The directory gives the Hickey Senior Extension program a different telephone contact from Hickey Junior/Senior High School, making the exact entry especially useful.
These listings identify programs and their contacts. A grade range or campus listing does not establish an individual student’s placement. Direct questions about participation, placement, or the next step to the staff responsible for that particular program.
Special Education Across the County
SCOE’s Special Education Department provides specialized educational services across all 13 Sacramento County school districts for students ranging from birth to age 22. Its Students with Disabilities page organizes information around specific services and programs.
Those programs include Court School and Community School Special Education Services, Foundations Academy, the Infant Development Program, Leo A. Palmiter Junior/Senior High School, and MOVE, which stands for Mobility Opportunities Via Education. The range includes services for very young children as well as school-age students and young adults.
Use the program name when asking for assistance. For example, a question about the Infant Development Program is more specific than a general request for special education information. If your inquiry concerns a student already participating in a program, identify that program and the school or site involved so staff can understand the context.
The department page identifies Student Programs leadership as a contact point. Its countywide age range describes the department’s overall service scope; it should not be treated as confirmation that every named program serves every age within that range.
Family Rights and Student Concerns
The Family Rights and Resources page brings together student behavior standards, parent rights materials, complaint procedures, and policies relating to SCOE schools and programs. It is particularly relevant when a family needs to understand the written standards that apply to a county-operated educational setting.
Handbooks and Complaint Procedures
The annual SCOE Parent Rights & Responsibilities and Student Behavior Standards handbook includes a Uniform Complaint Procedures form. SCOE describes that form as addressing discrimination, bullying, violence, and other issues related to its schools and programs. A Spanish version of the handbook is also available through the page.
Read the handbook and the applicable complaint materials together. A general question about a policy and the submission of a complaint are different tasks. The form and procedures provide the relevant framework for a complaint; the Family Rights and Guidelines contact can assist with questions about those materials.
Keep the scope of the documents in view. The handbook concerns SCOE schools and programs. For a concern involving a district-operated school, first identify that district rather than assuming the SCOE handbook governs the school’s process.
Policies for Specific Student Issues
The same page identifies policies on bullying, discrimination and harassment, sexual harassment, suicide prevention, professional adult/student boundaries, and married, pregnant, or parenting students. It also includes the policy governing math course placement for enrolling SCOE high school students.
Choose the policy that matches the issue rather than relying only on the general behavior handbook. A question about high school math placement, for example, has a specifically identified policy, Board Policy 6152.1. The page also directs readers to SCOE’s broader collection of Board policies, bylaws, and administrative rules and regulations.
For educational services for expelled students, the page publishes the 2024–27 SCOE Plan for Expelled Students alongside earlier plans. SCOE explains that previous plans remain published under California Department of Education guidelines. Pay attention to the period covered by the document when reviewing it.
Board Meetings and Student Appeals
The Sacramento County Board of Education consists of seven elected members. The County Superintendent of Schools serves as the Board’s secretary. In addition to its regular business, the Board hears student expulsion appeals and interdistrict transfer appeals.
These are separate appeal subjects. An expulsion appeal concerns a different matter from an interdistrict transfer appeal, so identify which issue you are researching before seeking procedural information. The Board’s responsibility for hearing both does not make the two processes interchangeable.
SCOE directs the public to its official Board meeting and agenda portal for the meeting schedule, related meetings, agendas, and minutes. Select the particular meeting you need and review its associated materials. Regular Board meetings, study sessions, and committee meetings have different titles and purposes; a calendar entry alone does not explain the business scheduled for that meeting.
For an appeal question, seek the instructions that apply to that appeal rather than using a general Board meeting date as a filing instruction. Meeting information helps you follow Board business, while the relevant appeal procedures govern the steps for the student matter.
Personnel Office and Employment Questions
The SCOE Personnel Department provides a contact point for personnel questions and information. Its page also directs readers toward education careers and skill-building resources for existing educators.
The Personnel office is located in the Clellan “Cy” Young Building in Mather. SCOE specifically states that this street location does not accept mail. Distinguish the office’s physical location from SCOE’s mailing address when planning a visit or sending correspondence. Both appear in the office list at the end of this article.
The Personnel page also explains the role of the three-member Personnel Commission, which administers the Merit System for classified employees. That responsibility is distinct from teacher credential assistance. When contacting Personnel, state whether your question concerns employment information, a classified personnel matter, or credential services so the subject is clear from the beginning.
Teacher Credentials, Certificates and Permits
The Credential Services Unit provides licensing expertise to Sacramento County’s 13 school districts. Its work includes analyzing and processing applications for credentials, certificates, and permits; issuing temporary county certificates; and answering general credentialing questions.
The unit also serves as a liaison between the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and county districts and programs. It audits teacher assignments, registers and certifies credentials and permits held or sought by certificated personnel, and reports its findings to the state commission annually.
For a useful inquiry, identify the credential, certificate, or permit involved and explain whether you are asking about an application, an existing authorization, or a teaching assignment. These details describe different parts of the unit’s work. A broad request about “teacher licensing” may require clarification before staff can address the actual question.
SCOE’s page directs readers to the state commission for California credential application instructions, forms, fees, fingerprint information, and explanatory materials. Use the state materials referenced there for the particular credential you are pursuing. County assistance with an application and state credential requirements are related responsibilities, but they serve different purposes.
Professional Learning and Workshop Registration
SCOE offers workshops and training for teachers, administrators, support staff, parents and guardians, and community members across the Sacramento region. Its Professional Learning Opportunities page provides upcoming offerings and access to the Professional Learning Registration System.
The annual catalog lists courses that SCOE departments can offer and organizes them by Local Control Funding Formula priority. The registration system provides a complete listing by category. These serve different planning needs: the catalog describes available course offerings, while the registration system helps readers locate scheduled learning opportunities.
Review the individual workshop title and delivery format before making arrangements. SCOE’s offerings include both in-person and virtual sessions, and titles may identify a particular audience, such as preschool educators, administrators, or paraeducators. Select the session that fits your role and learning need rather than relying on the topic alone.
Information to Have Ready
A focused inquiry gives the receiving office a clearer starting point. Before calling, identify the school, district, program, or service connected to your question. These are practical preparation steps, rather than a universal document requirement for SCOE services.
For a school question, have the full school name, grade level, and program site available.
For a policy question, identify the handbook, policy title, or policy number you are reviewing.
For credential assistance, name the credential, certificate, or permit and describe the application or assignment question.
For professional learning, identify the workshop title, scheduled date, and delivery format.
For Board business, identify the meeting date or distinguish an expulsion appeal from an interdistrict transfer appeal.
When referring to correspondence or a published document, use its exact title where possible. Precise names are especially helpful when schools share a location, programs operate at several sites, or a webpage contains documents covering different years.
Department and Office Contacts
Sacramento County Office of Education
P.O. Box 269003
Sacramento, CA 95826
(916) 228-2500
SCOE Personnel Department
Clellan “Cy” Young Building
10530 Mather Boulevard
Mather, CA
(916) 228-2332
Family Rights and Guidelines
(916) 228-2409