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Parents and classified employees press Chula Vista board over student safety and special-education contractors
Summary
Parents described injuries and alleged aide misconduct at special-day classrooms and urged investigations; classified employees warned that $18 million in special-education vendor renewals displace district staff and called for transparent job postings and vendor reviews.
Several parents and a union representative pressed the Chula Vista Elementary School District Board of Education on school safety and the district’s use of outside contractors during the board’s regular meeting.
At public comment, parent Bianca Carvajal said her son, who attends Allen Elementary in a special-day classroom, has returned from school with bruises on his rib cage, abdomen and chest and once showed a piece of skin missing from his hand. Carvajal said her son told her an aide "pinched him" and called it "the secret," and she asked the board for an investigation and follow-up from Superintendent Eduardo Reyes.
"He gets very emotional ... it's called the secret," Carvajal said, describing her son's distress and limited communication.
Angela Reid, speaking for the Chula Vista Classified Employees Organization, told the board that the district’s growing reliance on contractors has "become untenable," noting the renewal this summer of special-education contracts with a combined value she cited as "exceeding $18,000,000." Reid said many contracted roles perform duties that classified employees traditionally provide and asked the board to review any vendor contract that affects classified employment and to advertise job postings showing good-faith efforts to recruit district employees.
"This practice of utilizing contracted personnel to displace employees ... devalues the service of our members and limits opportunities," Reid said.
Board members acknowledged the concerns and asked staff to follow up. During open session, Superintendent Reyes and other district staff told the board they would pursue follow-up and offered to meet with parents and union representatives to provide additional information.
Trustees and staff also discussed how some nursing and behavioral services are procured: district staff said certain contracts (for example, RNs and LVNs via the Covello Group) are used to fill vacancies or cover absences when the district lacks a sub pool. Trustees asked for a list of special-education vendors and the extent of outreach and said the board would request a follow-up report.
The meeting record shows the board approved several consent items that included contracts and vendor renewals; multiple trustees specifically asked staff to provide additional detail about the vendor list and the proportion of services performed by contractors versus employees.
The board did not make a formal finding on individual abuse allegations in public comment; staff said they would follow up with parents and that any alleged misconduct would be handled through the district’s investigative processes.
