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Parents and teachers demand accountability for special education as board considers administrator contract changes
Summary
Multiple parents and special-education teachers told the board of alleged staffing gaps, service failures and unsafe conditions; several said they had filed notices or spoken with DOJ and urged the board to delay administrator contract extensions.
Parents, teachers and advocates used public comment time to press the Natomas Unified School District board over long-standing special-education problems while the board considered extending administrator contracts.
Jen Souza, speaking multiple times during the meeting, accused district leaders of "failing test scores, high turnover, racist and ableist practices, missed services for students with disabilities" and urged trustees not to approve contract extensions. A second commenter said she had documentation alleging multiple different posted agendas and called that a Brown Act violation.
An SDC teacher at Natomas Park Elementary said 15 teachers "mass exited" at the end of the prior year and that she spent roughly "$2,000" of her own money on classroom supplies. Sharon Thurman, who identified herself during outreach with the superintendent as representing Natomas Black Parents United, asked the board to require measurable reading outcomes and quarterly public accountability reports.
Several commenters alleged the Department of Justice had already made site visits and placed the district on notice; the board did not announce any formal action on those claims during the meeting. Trustee and superintendent remarks focused on organizational changes and the move to a public salary schedule; trustees repeatedly said they would continue oversight of academic outcomes but did not suspend or alter the contract-approval process at this meeting.
The meeting record shows substantive public concern on special-education staffing and service delivery, and speakers asked for clearer reporting and for district resources to be prioritized for classroom supports.
