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Parents press Tustin Unified for Legacy bus service and raise student safety concerns
Summary
Multiple parents and district employees asked the board to provide reliable district-funded transportation to Legacy middle school and several parents raised an allegation that a substitute teacher struck a student; the district said it will post budget/LCAP documents for review and the hearings remain open through June 23.
TUSTIN, Calif. — During public comment, several parents and students urged the Tustin Unified School District board to provide district-funded transportation to Legacy middle school, and one parent publicly alleged a substitute teacher struck her child while staff said the superintendent would follow up.
Erica Martinez, a district paraeducator and translator, said staff and families who work for the district need reliable transportation so employees can be at work while their children attend Legacy. "We're not asking for luxury. We're asking for a basic service that gives all children regardless of family income or transportation access a fair shot at their education," Martinez said.
Students and other parents described single‑car households and staggered bell times that make it difficult for families to drop off children: Legacy starts at 7:35 a.m. while nearby Heideman starts at 8:00 a.m., a schedule parents said forces them to arrange unsustainable carpools or miss work.
Separately, a parent identified in the transcript as Jadir Gomez said an incident on May 15 involved a substitute teacher called "Miss Hall" who "slapped or hit my son's shoulder" and that she has had limited follow-up from school leadership. Gomez said she had emailed the superintendent and "he said that he will take care of that, but I haven't heard from you either." The transcript records the allegation and the parent's request for information; no district response to the specific allegation appears in the meeting record.
Members of the public also raised questions about school supply requests and occasional classroom fees, telling the board that parents sometimes pay for workbooks or supplies even when site budgets appear to exist. Staff and trustees encouraged community members to review the posted budget and LCAP documents and to use the public comment period (open through June 23) to request further detail.
What happens next: The district will post budget and LCAP materials online for review and accept comments through June 23; any operational changes such as bus service would require staff analysis and budget consideration before the board could take action.
