Parent says campus restraint left son traumatized and urges autism-focused training for campus police

During the meeting’s public-comment period, parent Diana Serrano described a restraint of her son by campus police on Aug. 29 that she said was traumatic and may have been life-threatening. Serrano said she was present after the restraint and believes that without her presence her son might not have survived.

Serrano said neither the district’s campus police nor staff appear to be receiving the same specialized autism and crisis-intervention training she has observed in the El Paso Police Department and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. “Specialized training isn't a luxury. It's a necessity. It's the difference between a safe resolution and a tragedy,” she told the trustees.

Serrano asked the board to ensure campus police and staff have trauma-informed, disability-sensitive training and to provide an update on how the district is following up. Superintendent Cristóbal Vasquez (referred to in the meeting as Mr. Vasquez) replied that the matter was being followed and that the board would receive an update in the Friday packet.

Ending: Serrano said she was speaking out to protect her son and other students and requested protections against retaliation. The board directed administration to provide a status update in the board’s packet, signaling an administrative follow-up rather than an immediate policy action recorded at the meeting.