BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Earlier this year, 23ABC brought you the story of Bakersfield City School District parents demanding cameras in special education classrooms. Now, newly obtained public records are revealing unsettling details about reported incidents inside those classrooms.
The 10-page document outlines three formal investigations involving special education classrooms within the Bakersfield City School District.
Ashley Hopwood is the parent of a child in special education and filed the Public Records Act after an incident took place with her daughter.
“There’s been a lot of concerns between several parents with improper restraints being done, parents not being notified or being notified after the schools investigation being done so I did ask the school to investigate that.” Hopwood said.
Hopwood requested incident reports, investigations, restraint records, and complaints involving special education students from 2023 through 2026.
What she uncovered was alarming.
In August 2024, an internal investigation found that special education teacher Dawn Blanton at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary pushed a fifth-grade student so hard he fell to the ground.
The report says Blanton then kicked the student, grabbed him by both ankles, and dragged him approximately 30 feet across the floor — before dropping his legs and stepping back as they hit the ground.
The report also details another altercation with a third-grade student the day before. No word yet on what disciplinary action — if any — was taken.
Then in October 2024, at Emerson Middle School, special education teacher Mark Joseph instructed a seventh-grade student to change the diaper of another female student in a nearby restroom.
The teacher admitted the request, saying his aide was on break, but the report says it violated the student’s privacy rights. Again, there is no record of disciplinary action.
Seeing their worries confirmed, parents say it has only strengthened their effort to gather signatures for their petition to have the district install cameras inside the classrooms.
Parent Lyan Martinez says cameras should not be viewed as punishment, but as another layer of protection for both students and staff.
“We are all looking at the benefit of first protecting our children then the staff that are around them. It’s all in protection of everybody," said Martinez. "We all need a paper trail for certain incidences and I feel like that would take away a lot of stress.”
With the petition nearing 4,000 signatures, Martinez says classroom cameras could strengthen trust between parents and teachers.
And it’s not just parents raising concerns — some staff members are speaking out too, including one comment left on the petition drive that reads:
“I’ve worked in special education since 2018. CAMERAS ARE NEEDED IN SPED CLASSROOMS.” — Venessa.
23ABC asked the Bakersfield City School District for comment on the petition. In an email response, the district said in part:
“The Bakersfield City School District takes all matters related to student safety very seriously and is committed to reviewing the concerns raised... Student safety and well-being are always a top priority. Our schools exist to support students as they learn and grow, and that work can only take place in environments where students are treated with care, dignity, and respect.”
Parents are now racing to gather 5,000 signatures before presenting their petition at a future BCSD board meeting.
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