Parents, staff and county hear complaints about Springs Charter special‑education services and program conduct
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Summary
Parents and a former early‑education teacher told the county board that Springs Charter Schools in Rancho Cucamonga have repeatedly failed to honor IEP accommodations, denied students access to devices, and operated programs staffed without proper credentials.
Several parents and a former early‑education teacher used the San Bernardino County Board of Education—s public‑comment period to raise complaints about special‑education services and program conduct at Springs Charter Schools in Rancho Cucamonga.
Courtney Cook, senior director of special education for Springs Charter Schools, addressed the board first and defended the charter—s practices, saying the network serves hundreds of students with special needs and that "more than 95% of our San Bernardino families are positively engaged" in the IEP process. Cook cautioned that FERPA prevents staff from discussing individual cases publicly and urged partners to work through established procedures.
Several parents followed with specific allegations. Bridal Baum said her son was told by school staff he "should not be using speech to text," despite it being an accommodation in his IEP, and said students were on several occasions denied loaner laptops when they forgot devices at home. "How are they supposed to access education when they are denied the very thing they need to get their education that day?" Baum asked the board.
Parent Anna Salvatierra said her son did not receive services with fidelity, alleged he had been denied access to a laptop on the same day staff took food away from him, and described episodes she characterized as retaliation and discrimination that she said led to school refusal and lost instructional time. Salvatierra urged county oversight before approval of any additional Springs campuses.
Antoinette Jensen, who described herself as a former early‑education teacher, raised concerns about a separate county program referred to as "Clouds" in Etiwanda, saying credentialing and enrollment practices for transitional kindergarten may have created improper LCFF funding claims; she said she lost her job after reporting the issues.
Cook and other Springs representatives told the board they favor transparency and collaboration but that privacy laws limit what they can say in public. County staff did not take action during the public comment period; the speakers requested follow‑up from county staff to investigate alleged failures to implement IEPs and alleged personnel/credentialing problems.
Why it matters: Complaints about denial of IEP accommodations, improper credentialing or misallocation of enrollment/funding have legal and financial significance for charter operators and the districts that authorize or oversee them. County staff and the charter operator may need to follow up to determine whether corrective action is required.
What comes next: Multiple parents asked county staff to join facilitated IEP meetings and to investigate the complaints. The board heard the comments during public comment; staff and the charter operator indicated they would follow up with families within the limits of privacy law.
Speakers quoted or referenced in this article were named in the meeting transcript and include Springs Charter Schools— senior director of special education and several parents and a former teacher who spoke during the public comment period.
