Parents and advocates press EPISD on special-education safety; board approves interlocal, safety plan and emergency operations updates
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Summary
Parents and advocates urged the El Paso Independent School District on Oct. 21 to strengthen supervision, transparency and training for special‑education students after recent incidents, and the board approved a regional juvenile alternative education agreement and district safety measures.
El Paso — Parents and advocates urged the El Paso Independent School District on Oct. 21 to take steps aimed at preventing further injuries and deaths of students with disabilities, and the board approved both a long‑standing interlocal agreement for court‑mandated alternative education and new campus safety measures.
At the start of the public forum, Elizabeth Crooks, an Army spouse and parent of a nonverbal teen with severe autism, said recent incidents — including the death of Joseph Caraballo — have eroded public trust and called for immediate changes. "Transparency, accountability and justice are simply non negotiable," Crooks said, and she proposed four steps including a community town hall, a district special‑education advisory committee, collaboration with ABA therapy and autism organizations, and installation of cameras in special‑education classrooms.
Advocates echoed those requests. Elizabeth Bass, with Arc of El Paso, described repeated safety failures and urged the board to ensure every staff member has training in crisis intervention and de‑escalation. "Joseph's life mattered," Bass said. "We owe it to him and to every student who depends on us, EPISD, to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again." Alfredo Guerrero, a community organizer and special‑education outreach coordinator with Time Down Organization, also urged parental involvement in planning alternatives to suspension and in the operation of the juvenile justice alternative education program.
Board members and staff responded during the agenda discussion about item 6.D.2, the interlocal agreement that governs referrals to the El Paso County juvenile justice alternative education program (JJAEP). A district presenter described the JJAEP as the placement used when students are expelled or when court orders require out‑of‑campus services under Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code, and said JJAEP provides social services, classes and reintegration support. Trustee Cuellar asked staff to describe what the interlocal covers and how it is implemented.
Trustees said they were open to deeper community involvement. Trustee Henani invited the superintendent's office to explore a cross‑district advisory or collaborative approach and asked for an update; interim Superintendent Aguirre said cabinet staff would meet and reach out to neighboring districts and report back with recommendations by either November or the district's winter break.
On formal actions, the board approved the interlocal agreement (consent item 6.D.2) and carried the motion 7–0. After an executive (closed) session, the board unanimously adopted three actions related to school safety: a resolution declaring a good‑cause exception for House Bill 121 (the district's stated wording), acceptance of a plan discussed in closed session that includes ongoing safety training for all campuses, and approval of the district's emergency operations plan as submitted to the Texas School Safety Center for the 2025 annual review. Each of those post‑closed‑session motions passed 7–0.
Why it matters: Speakers framed their requests as urgent reforms to rebuild trust and prevent further harm to students with disabilities. The board's actions combined (1) continued use of the regional JJAEP placement for students subject to expulsion or court orders, (2) agreement to report back with cross‑district coordination options, and (3) formal acceptance of updated safety training and emergency‑operations documents.
The board did not vote on installation of cameras in special‑education classrooms during this meeting; parental proposals and requests for a district town hall and a special‑education advisory committee were recorded in public comment and discussed as possible next steps for staff follow up.
Votes and next steps: The interlocal agreement (6.D.2) was approved as part of the consent agenda, 7–0. Trustees asked administration to return with proposals on cross‑district collaboration and community engagement; the superintendent's office committed to an update by November or winter break. The safety training and emergency operations plan were adopted 7–0 following closed‑session discussion.
