At the Nov. 17 Attleboro School Committee meeting, multiple public commenters accused district staff of improperly restraining students and using an unlawful seclusion room, and called on the committee to take accountability.

Jason Alford, who identified himself as a former federal investigator, said his son was restrained more than 20 documented times and described a room at Thatcher Elementary that he characterized as an "illegal seclusion room." He named Superintendent David Sawyer, Special Education Director Yvonne Medeiros and teacher Carrie Fernandez in his remarks and said the behavior represented "district-wide negligence and protected by district-wide leadership failures." Alford said the pattern stretches beyond his family and urged committee action.

"My career was built on facts, evidence, regulations, accountability, 4 things this district has failed to uphold," Alford told the committee. He said his October complaint prompted other parents to come forward with similar allegations.

Erin Alfred later reiterated the concerns, saying parents should not be silent when children are "restrained, secluded, ignored, dismissed" and urged families to contact organizers if their children were mistreated. "The truth is not harassment, the truth is protection," Alfred said.

Committee members did not engage in a detailed public response during open forum. The meeting proceeded to announcements and later voted to enter executive session to discuss collective bargaining and litigation and did not return to open session.

The allegations were raised publicly in the committee’s open forum and remain allegations. The committee did not announce any immediate investigatory steps or corrective action on the record during the meeting.