Parents press district to stop preschool tuition for children with disabilities; board hears Shaw safety concerns and a new member questions a behavioral-health

Public commenters at the Phoenix Elementary District meeting urged the board to remove financial barriers to preschool for children with disabilities and demanded accountability and transparency after a safety incident at Shaw campus. Commenters also praised outgoing board member Dr. Alicia Vink.

Paul Booth told the board he is the father of a child with a visual impairment and said his child was charged prorated tuition after the district determined, via an IEP team, that a full-day placement was appropriate. Booth said families had been charged "not a DES co pay, not a $225 after scholarship, not $442.50 after FAPE" and urged the district to stop charging tuition for full-day preschool placements when the Individualized Education Program (IEP) determines they are required. Booth also alleged that "approximately 60" families were grandfathered to attend Shaw Montessori for free this year, and asked who in the district was responsible for the policy decision to charge preschool tuition.

"When an IEP team determines that full day placement is in the best interest of the child based on their actual needs, we should not allow there to be any financial barrier in their way," Booth said.

Angelica Luna urged the district to investigate and publicly explain an incident at Shaw where two young children went missing 45 minutes before dismissal and were found off campus three hours later. Luna asked why communication and procedures broke down, why the school was locked down, how long the children were missing before parents and police were notified, and what changes the district will make "so this never happens again."

Lisonbee Golic and several public commenters offered personal thanks and praise to outgoing board member Dr. Alicia Vink for her years of service; multiple commenters said Vink had amplified family voices and urged the district to continue transparency work.

During the consent agenda discussion, newly seated board member Sue Ann Edmiston said she had three concerns about item D3 (the memorandum of understanding for Southwest Behavioral Health): parental notification, the absence of a lease agreement and the documenthaving fewer terms than a similar agreement used by another local district. Edmiston said she needed more time to review the item and cast a "no" vote on the consent agenda while registering support for most other consent items.

The board approved the consent agenda (items D1 through D10) in a roll-call vote after discussion. Recorded votes on the consent agenda show a majority approval with at least three recorded "aye" votes; Edmiston recorded concerns and a dissenting vote on the agenda as presented.

The board also considered several motions earlier in the meeting to pull D3 for separate consideration or to move it to a later meeting; those amendments failed on roll-call votes, and the consent agenda ultimately passed. The transcript includes several procedural motions (to amend and to move items) that did not pass and one final consent motion that was approved.

The district did not provide new factual findings in the public comments; speakers requested investigations, policy clarifications and follow-ups. Several board members acknowledged the concerns and said staff would follow up on communication and safety procedures as well as the specifics of preschool placement and tuition.