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Parent tells board her autistic son was assaulted repeatedly at Rio Vista Elementary, urges district action
Summary
A Rio Vista Elementary parent described repeated physical and verbal assaults against her autistic son, said administrators minimized incidents, and urged the board to address bullying and student safety; staff said district personnel would follow up.
Angela Powers used the public-comment period to describe repeated bullying incidents involving her nine-year-old son at Rio Vista Elementary, saying he was physically assaulted multiple times this school year and that some school administrators responded dismissively.
Powers said her son, who has a 504 plan and is autistic, was told by another student "you and Dad don't exist" and was punched multiple times; she recounted administrators' responses she described as blaming the victim. Powers said the district faces both safety and legal risks — she referenced Seth's Law — and asked what the district is doing to protect vulnerable students.
District staff told Powers they would have Mr. Scher (district staff) look into the concern and follow up. The board gave the comment attention and directed staff to investigate further; no disciplinary details or outcomes were disclosed publicly at the meeting.
The board noted the matter would be handled as a student issue and staff would report back to the parent directly, consistent with privacy and student-discipline procedures.
