VISALIA, Calif. — Families have filed formal claims against the Visalia Unified School District following allegations involving Visalia Unified special needs abuse connected to nonverbal students at Highland Elementary School.

According to a press release issued Friday, four families filed claims under the California Government Claims Act after district officials allegedly failed to properly respond to reports of abuse involving a special-education teacher.

The claims allege district officials became aware of credible abuse allegations in March 2024 but failed to notify parents while the teacher remained in the classroom for more than a year.

According to police reports and claims referenced in the release, two classroom aides allegedly witnessed the teacher strike a nonverbal autistic student on the head, kick the child in the chest, and kick a chair out from underneath another student. The aides reportedly informed school administration at the time.

The release further alleges that despite sustained findings warranting corrective action, no meaningful action was taken and the teacher remained in the classroom. Additional allegations included physical confinement, grabbing students, and screaming at nonverbal children.

Because the children involved were nonverbal, parents say they had no way of knowing what was allegedly happening inside the classroom.

“It wasn’t until the witnesses came forward and shared what they saw, the few that did, that I knew everything made sense,” said Brittany Camacho, one of the mothers involved in the case. “I never would have thought it was because of the school.”

Camacho said she initially believed her son’s distress may have been related to medical or behavioral conditions and sought professional help, unaware the alleged abuse could have been occurring at school.

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“I saw that his body was in distress, and I tried to get him professional help,” Camacho said. “They just wanted to drug him up on medication. But that was just putting a Band-Aid. It wasn’t getting to the root of the problem.”

Visalia Unified Special Needs Abuse Sparks Calls for Cameras

According to the press release, parents reportedly did not learn about the allegations until September 2025, when the Visalia Police Department contacted families during a criminal investigation.

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On April 16, 2026, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office filed an 11-count misdemeanor complaint against the teacher under California Penal Code section 273A(b), according to the release. The alleged conduct reportedly occurred between August 2024 and June 2025.

The families are now calling for reforms within the district, including independent oversight, mandatory parental notification procedures, stronger mandated reporter protections, and the installation of cameras inside classrooms serving students with disabilities.

Camacho said cameras could help provide accountability and protection for vulnerable students who are unable to communicate abuse themselves.

“There needs to be cameras in the classrooms just to add an extra layer of protection because none of these kids can speak,” Camacho said. “You cannot trust adults to do the right thing by either not abusing the children or mandated reporting when they do see abuse.”

Parents Push for Accountability in Visalia Unified Special Needs Abuse Case

Camacho also launched a Change.org petition calling for cameras to be installed in classrooms serving students with disabilities throughout the district.

The petition argues that children with disabilities are disproportionately affected by alleged misconduct in schools and states that surveillance systems could help provide transparency and accountability in classroom settings.

“We cannot rely on the adults in the classroom to mandate report,” the petition states. “In my son’s case, due to delayed and failed mandated reporting, multiple classmates were abused.”

The petition can be viewed here:

https://www.change.org/p/install-cameras-in-all-special-needs-classrooms

Camacho also encouraged school employees and witnesses to come forward if they observed misconduct or failures in reporting.

“These children are innocent,” she said. “They don’t have a voice to speak up. And you do have a voice. It’s your duty to speak up and help the helpless.”

The claims were filed on behalf of the families by McNair Law Group LLP, Ambika Law, P.C., and the Law Office of Leigh Anne Hodge, LLC.

The Visalia Unified School District had not publicly responded to the claims as of Friday afternoon.