Parents say student barred from graduation; board hears complaints about unfair treatment

Several parents and community members used the citizens'comment period to tell the Phoenix-Talent School District Board of Directors they believed a student had been unfairly prevented from participating in graduation and described treatment they said amounted to discrimination.

Maricela Rocha, who identified herself as a parent, said her child, who was scheduled to graduate this year, was denied the opportunity to participate days before graduation. "I feel like it's unjust, that my son wasn't able to do graduation," Rocha said during public comment. She said the family felt they had received "false hope" and described the experience as traumatic.

Another speaker, who identified himself as Dante Sonia, said students who asked for help were put on a list of "bad kids" and that the district had shown discriminatory treatment. Several other parents spoke in Spanish; the meeting included interpretation and staff asked for short statements to allow for translation.

Board response and next steps

The board read a standard preamble that reminds speakers that the public-comment period is for remarks and that the board will not engage in discussion during that portion of the meeting. The preamble also stated, "Complaints about staff members cannot be discussed in open session and must be handled through a complaint procedure."

Later in the meeting, board members acknowledged the concerns and said they wanted staff to look into the matters raised. Superintendent Berry thanked speakers for their courage in coming forward and asked staff to investigate and report back. A board member said she heard "concerning things" and asked staff to follow up and provide a report to the board.

What the board did and did not do

No formal action, findings, or disciplinary outcomes were recorded in open session; the board did not conduct an investigation during the meeting. The record shows the board asked staff to look into the complaints and report back at a future meeting. The district's public-comment rules, read aloud at the meeting, require complaints about staff be routed through an established complaint process rather than resolved in open session.

Why this matters

Allegations that a student was excluded from graduation and that students experienced discriminatory treatment concern student rights, district due process and communication with families. Board members said they would pursue a staff follow-up and that an established complaint procedure governs allegations about staff conduct.

Ending

Speakers urged the board to act and to prevent other families from experiencing similar outcomes. The board asked staff to investigate and to provide findings in a future report; no timeline for that follow-up was recorded in the meeting minutes.