Two Texas mothers blow whistle on public school’s alleged neglect of special-needs students 

Two Texas mothers have filed a federal complaint after they say their local school district neglected its special education students.  

Tanya East and Delia Sandoval, mothers of Denton…

Two Texas mothers have filed a federal complaint after they say their local school district neglected its special education students.  

Tanya East and Delia Sandoval, mothers of Denton Independent School District students, allege the district failed to provide legally mandated services.  

“My son has not had a certified teacher most of last year,” said East, whose 4-year-old son is nonverbal and has autism. “They haven’t had adequate staffing in the room, which has led to neglect. There are times when he went the entire day with maybe one or two diaper changes. One time he wasn’t changed for over seven hours.” 

Sandoval alleges a similar experience with her child.  

“All last year my daughter did not have a certified special-ed teacher,” she recalled. “The school is not delivering appropriate education minutes and basic special-ed services to my daughter as outlined in her individualized educational plan.  

“I’ve had multiple meetings with the principal and the superintendent, with all the right chains of command, and I still feel like we’re not being heard.” 

According to the U.S. Department of Education, Denton ISD has five pending cases of disability discrimination. The most recent case was filed June 4 under the Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) civil right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.  

Denton ISD denies East’s and Sandoval’s claims of discrimination, writing in a statement that, “Denton ISD does not discriminate. We will continue to partner with parents to meet the needs of all students.” 

However, the two mothers feel as if they’ve reached a dead end with district leadership.  

“Sadly, I feel that I need to come forward and speak up because unless we speak up, we’re not heard,” said East. “I’m greatly concerned that the students who are disabled in Denton ISD are not receiving their services, and they are being systemically discriminated against.”  

Sandoval said she feels as if her power as a parent has been taken away. 

“They’re pushing us back or cutting us off and not really willing to hear our voices and compromise in any way. And I think the hardest part is not taking accountability even after they acknowledge not delivering my child over 7,000 minutes of education.  

“It’s been really disheartening to sit there and just kind of be expected to take this as a bystander.” 

Denton’s isn’t the first case of a school district accused of failing to provide services to its special-needs students. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice ruled a Nebraska district violated deaf students’ rights by forcing them to attend “cluster” schools rather than the one closest to them. 

And a Virginia father ended up being sued by his school for $600,000 after he complained his son wasn’t receiving the legally mandated services.  

In 2023, an Oregon legislator blasted the public school system for trying to cut down the number of instructional hours that disabled students receive.