Parents and staff urge board to investigate special‑education director over alleged IEP and placement practices

Several teachers, parents and advocates told the Tehachapi Unified School District Governing Board on June 10 that the district's special education director has repeatedly bypassed required Individualized Education Program (IEP) procedures and placed students without the full consent of IEP teams.

"The failure of the special education director, Mr. Tamock, to adhere to the provisions of Education Code sections 56320 and 56500.4 related to the enrollment of a special education student into a less restrictive environment without the consent of the full IEP team" was cited by Amy Armstrong, who identified herself as a seventh‑grade SDC teacher at JMS.

The speakers tied the alleged procedural violations to potential harms to students and staff. "This practice is deeply troubling as it not only jeopardizes the student's right to receive appropriate services in the least restrictive environment, but also risks the safety and well‑being of the student and others involved," Armstrong said.

Samantha Bell, speaking as a family member and advocate, told the board: "The deceit, coercion, manipulation and retaliation has got to stop." She urged the board to investigate the special education director and "the shameful and illegal practices he implements."

Diana Schultz, who said she has represented domestic violence victims and has reported the director for two years, described tactics she said were used in meetings and urged trustees to act: "The immunity that protects your personal assets and protects you from being sued individually dissolves when you breach that fiduciary duty. You have been on notice." Schultz said board inaction could expose trustees to legal risk.

Superintendent Francis Lynch and board members repeatedly acknowledged the complaints during the meeting. Trustee comments and staff replies indicated the topic "has been looked at and continues to be looked at," and that the district's special education compliance metric is tracked through an internal data system called Cyrus.

"It's being looked at," a district official said during public comment responses. In later discussion trustees and staff said the district has been monitoring compliance and that the superintendent and staff are aware of concerns, but there was no formal motion recorded at the meeting to open an external investigation or to suspend the director.

Why it matters: Special education placement and IEP compliance are governed by state and federal law; parents and educators who say IEP processes are bypassed are asking the board to ensure required assessments, team meetings and safeguards occur before placements change. The board did not announce a formal investigative action at the June 10 meeting, but multiple speakers demanded prompt, transparent steps to restore trust.

Board response and next steps: Trustees said they would review the matter internally; several trustees asked staff to include the issue in future agendas and to provide more detailed reports. One trustee said he would email the superintendent requesting further information. No vote or formal direction to open an external investigation was recorded at the meeting.

Ending: Speakers asked the board to act before more students are affected; the board said staff would continue to review compliance data and follow up in future meetings.