The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) was recognized for excellence in communications at the 2026 California School Public Relations Association (CalSPRA) Annual Conference, held March 11–14 in San Jose, California. During the awards gala, LACOE received the Excellence in Communications Award in the Special Purpose Publication category for its Immigration Toolkit.

LACOE’s Public Affairs and Communications Team, in collaboration with the Immigrant Relations and Services Unit and members of the Immigration Task Force, created the “Supporting Immigrant Students and Families Toolkit." It provides school districts with guidance on maintaining safe learning environments, understanding legal protections for students and responding appropriately to potential immigration enforcement situations. By equipping educators with clear protocols, communication templates and practical resources, the toolkit reinforces LACOE’s commitment to ensuring that every student, regardless of immigration status, can focus on learning.

Several other Los Angeles County school districts also received the CalSPRA Excellence in Communications Award, including:

• Arcadia Unified School District

• Azusa Unified School District

• Santa Monica–Malibu Unified School District

• Torrance Unified School District

Some districts also received Merit Awards across additional categories.

In addition to this recognition, LACOE’s communications team played a leading role in conference programming.

Elizabeth Graswich, LACOE executive director of communications, presented “AI in Education: Results of the CalSPRA & Project Tomorrow Study,” alongside CalSPRA Executive Director Trinette Marquis. The session provided a first look at statewide survey results on how school communicators are using artificial intelligence and introduced the new CalSPRA AI Workgroup, which will develop best practices, ethical guidance and resources for responsible AI use.

Graswich also co-presented “Leading through Change: Communications Leaders as Strategic Partners in Gen AI Adoption,” with LACOE Public Information Officers Jennifer Oliva and Van Nguyen. The session showcased LACOE’s approach to generative AI adoption and emphasized the evolving role of communications professionals as strategic partners in organizational change.

LACOE’s education foundation, the Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation, also presented at the conference through the session “Managing Support After Disaster: Communication Teams and Education Foundations in Action.” Sam Gelinas, Vice President of Programs, Strategy and Development, shared how education foundations collaborated with school districts following the Los Angeles County wildfires to coordinate relief and recovery efforts. Together, these efforts helped deliver $6.5 million in direct aid to families and educators, along with millions more in support for schools,  demonstrating the importance of strong partnerships in times of crisis.

L.A. County communications professionals further contributed to the conference through session leadership and panel discussions. Robert Dozmati of El Monte City School District co-led a networking session for “departments of one,” while Anjelica Juarez of Azusa Unified School District participated in a panel on crisis communications and building community trust.