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Parents Urge Chandler Unified to Strengthen Mental-health, Safety and Reporting Policies
Summary
At the Dec. 11 board meeting, multiple parents and community members urged the district to improve mental-health supports, mandate training for principals and staff on reporting and investigations, and respond to recent student deaths and violent incidents.
Several members of the public used the district’s open-comment period on Dec. 11 to press the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board for expanded mental-health services, stronger violence-prevention efforts and clearer protocols for responding to allegations of sexual assault and serious incidents.
Bridget Vega, who identified herself as speaking on behalf of the community, said there is an "overall lack of care and concern for the kids' mental health" and criticized what she described as staff dismissiveness and inadequate mandated-reporting practices. "We have lost 2 boys due to carbon monoxide poisoning... at least 1 Perry student to suicide with a firearm this month," she said, and asked what the district's plan is for prevention and support as the community moves into a season she called a "peak season for suicide."
Caricia Arnold described family experience with sexual assault and urged the district to treat such cases as law-enforcement matters rather than internal principal-led investigations. "Your principal should not be investigating these cases. It is a law enforcement issue, not a principal issue," she said, and asked the board to require stronger training and mandated reporting protocols.
Ryan Heap, speaking earlier in the public comment period, requested more granular evaluation of district programs and suggested surveying families who left the district to understand drivers of declining enrollment.
Board members acknowledged the comments, thanked speakers, and referenced the district's crisis team and community resources. The board did not take immediate formal action on the requests during the meeting but invited staff and community members to continue dialogue and stated that agendaed items and future study sessions will address safety grants and related programs.
