Glendale mayor presses school district after court ruling and new abuse allegations

Mayor Ara Najarian used city council remarks on Feb. 10 to press the Glendale Unified School District to act after a 2025 court ruling and a separate recent allegation involving a special‑needs student. Najarian described a March 2025 Superior Court judgment that, he said, awarded $4,100,000 in damages and assigned 90% of fault to the district in an earlier case involving an autistic student. He said the ruling detailed failures in oversight and protocols and urged the district to implement “comprehensive reforms to prevent abuse with transparency and oversight.”

Community members told the council the most recent incident — a December 2025 allegation and subsequent arrest of a contract special‑education assistant — heightened urgency. Ray Shelton, a longtime local teacher and parent, urged the school board to “resign en masse” and called for public transparency about the district’s contract with outside investigators. Lucina Satyan, a parent of a nonverbal child, said she no longer felt safe sending her child to school and urged measures such as classroom cameras to protect vulnerable students.

Council members and staff repeatedly noted that the city has no direct jurisdiction over school operations but said they would press for better communication and coordination. Councilmember Elena Sazerian (remarks at the meeting) said the council requested copies of the court order be lodged with city records so the ruling would not be overlooked. Several council members encouraged parents to report suspected abuse to the Glendale Police Department and discussed the need for a hotline or direct reporting pathway.

The meeting did not produce any formal action requiring the school district to act. Council directed staff to pursue improved communication with the district and to explore feasible local responses — including working with law enforcement and child‑protection agencies — and to provide updates to the council. The mayor said he would continue to hold the district accountable and urged the superintendent and board to acknowledge the court’s findings and to cooperate with investigators.

Next steps: council members asked staff to report back on potential city actions to improve reporting and communication and to provide copies of the cited court ruling to the city clerk for public record.