Parents allege inadequate supports and abuse in Duarte Unified special‑education placements; board urged to act

Parents at the Duarte Unified board meeting described persistent problems in the district’s handling of medically fragile and special‑education students, urging trustees to address alleged safety failures and systemic barriers to supports.

"The one the $1 million you guys saved by putting together a medically fragile classroom at the last minute came at a much higher cost. It resulted in a lawsuit and more importantly, my son experienced abuse," parent Marissa Moreno said, naming incidents she said involved denial of essential medical care and staff mistreatment. She called for accountability and asked why families must hire attorneys to secure services she says are medically necessary.

Jenny Moreno, another public commenter, said families were explicitly told not to discuss IEP concerns at a recent parent gathering and questioned where parents should raise urgent safety concerns. She said recommended supports — including AAC devices and one‑to‑one aides — were difficult to obtain and implied that staffing and evaluation decisions had been downplayed during eligibility determinations.

Marissa Moreno named a district employee (identified in her remarks as "Mr. Crosby") as connected to families’ concerns. The superintendent offered to speak with the parent to follow up; the publicly recorded meeting did not include a substantive district rebuttal on the record.

Parents requested clearer, transparent procedures for handling safety complaints and IEP implementation, and urged the board to review processes and staffing at the referenced site. Trustees did not announce an immediate investigative finding at the meeting but the superintendent said she would meet individually with the parent who requested follow‑up.

The allegations raise questions about how medically fragile placements are staffed and how the district communicates and documents corrective actions and compliance with medical and IEP recommendations. The board did not take an immediate vote on investigations or policy changes at this meeting; parents asked for systemic remedies and better access to recommended services.