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Parents press Chula Vista board on special-education safety and contractor use; attendee alleges misuse of district funds
Summary
Multiple parents told the Chula Vista board they have safety concerns about special-education students, citing bruises, missed IEPs and alleged misconduct; a commenter alleged a board member used district funds for personal expenses. Commenters also criticized extensive vendor contracts that may displace classified staff.
Parents and residents voiced urgent concerns about the treatment and supervision of special-education students and the district’s contracting practices during public comment at the Chula Vista School District Board of Education meeting.
Bianca Carvajal described her son’s repeated unexplained bruises and said he reported that “una de las asistentes lo pellizcó” while in the Aspire program at Allen School; she asked the board for an investigation and for the district to follow up on the reported incidents. Multiple other parents described delays in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, frequent teacher turnover, instances they characterized as discrimination, and at least one after-hours instructor under investigation for inappropriate touching. Several speakers urged the district to increase transparency and communication with families.
Separately, a public commenter alleged that board member César Fernández used district funds for personal expenses, referencing an incident at a San Francisco karaoke bar and saying, “Él usa fondos del distrito.” That comment was made during public testimony; no on-the-record denial or confirmation by the board appears in the open-session transcript.
Employee representatives (CBCO/Chula Vista classified employees) raised concerns about the district’s growing use of contracted services to provide functions once performed by classified staff. The representative, Ángela Reed, said the district renewed special-education contracts totaling “más de 18,000,000 de dólares” and requested that any vendor contract affecting classified positions be reviewed and that vacancies be posted to attract permanent hires.
Board and staff responses in open session included offers to provide additional information, requests for follow-up presentations, and commitments to investigate specific safety allegations through appropriate channels. The board did not take formal action on the allegations during open session; several commenters asked for investigations or presentations at future meetings.
Next steps: parents requested presentations on student surveys, vendor role explanations, and a detailed accounting of contracts that affect classified employment; the board asked staff to coordinate follow-up reports and to make survey questions and contract details available to the board and the public.
