Parents of Gates SLC program say district neglected students, call for principal's removal

Parents of students in the SLC (Specialized Learning Classroom) program at Gates Elementary told the Aurora East USD 131 Board of Education on June 2 that recent staff reassignments and leadership changes harmed students with autism and asked the board to remove the Gates principal and retain classroom teachers.

At the June 2 public-comment portion of the regular board meeting, a parent who identified herself only as Irma said the district had "neglected to support these students" during the 2024-25 school year and criticized the removal of an administrator she said "supported, protected, and advocated for" the SLC population. "If you have someone with ASD, then you know that transitions on planned events, communication, regulation of any kind, and sensory inputs are a continuous struggle," Irma said.

Another parent, who identified herself as Cassie, told the board the SLC program had about 60 students and said staffing levels had dropped: "Gates had 6 teachers and 10 to 12 kids in each class, instead of 8 teachers with 6 to 8 kids in each class. The entire year, the program was short 2 teachers." She said four teachers who had worked with SLC students were reassigned to other buildings and asked how the district justified those moves. "As a parent, this is heartbreaking and alarming because transition for autistic kids is not easy," she said.

The parents described multiple concerns they said were observed or reported during the year, including what they characterized as mistreatment of special-needs students, poor communication with families, and a "culture of avoidance." Irma said she had heard an unnamed staff member say she would not want special-needs students in her school, and asked, "Is this the person you want to have as a leader of Gates Elementary?"

Board members did not debate or take formal action on the parents' requests during the public-comment period. Board President (identified in the meeting) moved the meeting forward to the consent agenda and later to other agenda items. The transcript does not record a district response to the specific request for the principal's removal or an immediate plan to convene a meeting with SLC parents.

Why it matters: Parents described the issues as directly affecting a vulnerable student population for whom staff continuity and predictable routines are central to classroom success. They requested direct communication and involvement from district officials and asked the board to keep teachers who work with SLC students in place.

The board's later agenda included staffing and curriculum approvals across the district and an executive session after which the board approved a student-discipline resolution; none of those items on the record included a formal response to the Gates SLC parents' requests.

The parents asked the board to communicate with families about next steps; the transcript records no scheduled follow-up meeting or timeline for the district to respond to the parents' specific demands.