Parents and a state representative raise privacy and notification concerns as Cartwright reworks employee childcare

Public commenters and a state legislator’s representative pressed the Cartwright Elementary School District governing board over employee childcare during the regular meeting, raising concerns about staff notification, privacy and potential retaliation.

Anna Abadia, a state legislative representative, said board members had contacted district employees seeking her two-year-old daughter’s information and called those inquiries an improper invasion of family privacy. "My child is 2. She's not here for your entertainment," Abadia told the board, saying she had received repeated calls from staff reporting members asking for her child's birthday, classroom number and address. She said the conduct felt retaliatory and that she would take further action if it continued.

Resident Cecilia Moreno told the board she had heard teachers had not been informed about childcare changes before signing contracts and warned the district could lose qualified staff. "Teachers were not informed prior to signing their contracts about the day care facility," Moreno said.

Acting Superintendent Steve Watson reviewed the district’s recently held town hall and said the administration will phase out employee childcare over the next five to six years while allowing currently enrolled children to complete the program. He said the district will still accept applications from employees with children expected in the near future: "Anybody who is pregnant basically as of tomorrow, will be able to, apply, just through that regular process for their child to be able to have access to that childcare program," Watson said.

Watson said administration is researching alternative models other districts use, such as linking childcare to child-development classes in neighboring districts. He also said legal and tax counsel had identified a compliance problem: the district had treated employer-provided childcare as a non-taxable benefit and "we have not been, recording this as a taxable benefit on the tax documents that we've been issuing to our employees." Counsel has recommended the district include the benefit on employee tax documents going forward and review records for at least three prior years; Watson said the district is still determining whether IRS penalties will apply and will notify affected employees.

Board President Lydia Hernandez acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations raised during public comment and said actions that single out children or families would not be tolerated. The meeting recessed for five minutes amid a tense exchange and later resumed, with administrators continuing discussion of the childcare update during the business portion of the meeting.

Watson said most current childcare staff have been placed into positions for next year and thanked them for their patience. He also said the district will work with employees to obtain required substitute certifications when retirees or other employees would be asked to act as substitutes under alternative models.

No formal board action to end or immediately change the childcare program was taken at the meeting; the superintendent described planned steps and counsel-recommended tax-reporting corrections as administrative matters under review.

The board set a schedule for additional communications and follow-up with staff and the community to explain next steps and any financial implications for employees who have participated in the program.