Parents tell board special-education services and student supervision need urgent review
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Summary
Multiple speakers during public comment alleged language-access gaps, inadequate special-education supports and a case in which a sixth-grade student left campus without supervision; the district committed staff follow-up and to review procedures.
Several parents and staff used the public-comment period at the Jan. 15 Riverside Unified board meeting to raise concerns about special-education services and student supervision.
Steven Figueroa said special-education practice sessions and evaluations are being conducted only in English and alleged parents had been denied assessments in their native language. An interpreter relayed a parent’s account that her son, who has autism and intellectual disability, has not received needed supports since enrolling in August and characterized the situation as a failure of service.
Roshera Syte Davis recounted an incident on Dec. 18, 2025, in which her sixth-grade child left campus unsupervised. Davis said the district later confirmed to her that no written incident report or investigation exists and asked for a written account explaining where supervision, transfer and documentation failed. She told the board: “Quiero ser claro que una niña de sexto... salió de la escuela sin supervisión.”
Superintendent Noemí Llamas said staff would meet directly with families and that district personnel (office of special education and related staff) would review procedures and respond to commenters offline. The board chair and staff asked operational team members to follow up immediately to review due-process protocols, assessment-language options and incident documentation.
No formal board action was taken during the public-comment period; staff said they would contact the families and report back to the board.