Parents and teachers press Burbank board over safety, special‑education cuts at Jefferson Elementary
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Multiple parents and teachers told the Burbank school board they fear for student safety after repeated incidents in a Jefferson Elementary classroom and urged the board to halt proposed cuts to behavioral aides and wellness specialists.
Parents, substitute teachers and special‑education staff told the Burbank Unified School District board on March 5 that repeated violent incidents involving one fifth‑grade student at Thomas Jefferson Elementary have left students and staff in distress and demanded immediate action.
Among the concerns: a classroom incident on Jan. 28 in which a student grabbed scissors and threatened self‑harm and harm to others; parents said the student returned to class the next day, leaving families feeling uninformed and unsafe. Speakers asked why the district had not notified parents with more detail and asked the board to intervene to ensure the safety of the entire campus.
Teachers and special‑education professionals described the role of behavioral aides and a wellness/behavior specialist as indispensable to daily operations and classroom safety. “Behavioral aides are the lifeline that makes school possible for students like my son,” said a parent (speaker 26). Educators said proposed reductions would stretch remaining staff and jeopardize students’ access to required supports.
District response: Interim Superintendent Doctor Macias said he scheduled a parent meeting and would meet with school and district staff to share information. The director of special education (speaker 19) told the board that the district’s proposed reductions did not target IEP‑mandated one‑to‑one aides and that teams were using 'fade plans' where appropriate, but acknowledged the anxiety and said the district would work to maintain IEP compliance.
Next steps: The district committed to more communication with Jefferson parents, to explore site‑level reorganizations and to provide a clear timeline for how supports will be maintained while reductions are implemented. Parents said they expect detail about who will deliver services and how safety will be monitored day‑to‑day.
The board will hear the reductions as part of its fiscal stabilization implementation; trustees asked staff to provide site‑level staffing and safety plans as the process continues.