Family of 10-year-old demand investigation into Palo Alto school district for alleged systemic abuse

PALO ALTO, Calif. (KGO) -- Serious claims are being made against the Palo Alto Unified School District and an after-school program it contracts with.

A Bay Area family says their 10-year-old child was the victim of systemic abuse. It comes after a series of alleged incidents involving a 10-year-old Black student.

His identity is being protected but advocates spoke Wednesday on behalf of the boy and his parents.

"We are speaking out today to address the harsh bias, abuse and discriminatory treatment our child has endured at the hands of the Palo Alto Union (Sic) School District," said Raymond Goins with the San Jose NAACP, who read a statement from the family.

Many of the allegations stem from an after-school program the boy attended called "Right At School," which works with the district.

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The first incident allegedly happened in January in the after-hours program at Escondido Elementary when the boy was nine years old.

"An individual staff member allowed other children, or directed other children to kick our claimant in the genitals, and also locked him up, as was stated earlier, for 15 minutes in a closet as a joke," said attorney Jim Quadra, who is representing the family.

The school district and Right At School say the employee involved was immediately fired.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney shared an arrest warrant with ABC7 that was issued for that worker who faced charges, including causing or permitting a child to suffer or inflicting pain or suffering on a child and felony false imprisonment.

Since then, attorneys say the young boy has since experienced retaliatory harassment and say the boy recently reported thoughts of suicide to a school psychologist.

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"The school dismissed it as a joke. Did not report it to the parents," Quadra said.

Sean Allen, president-elect of the San Jose NAACP claims the district has a history of discrimination.

"We have several instances within this school district where people of color, children of color have been referred to in derogatory terms of referencing their color. And there's actually no discipline," he said.

In a statement, the school district said:

The Palo Alto Unified School District prioritizes the safety and well-being of our students and staff. We are aware of a concern involving the services provided by Right At School, one of our before and after school care providers. The District has and will continue to take a proactive approach to ensure high-quality and safe learning environments for our students. For almost five years, Right At School has partnered with Palo Alto Unified School District and currently provides more than 500 students with low or no-cost before school, after school, and summer camp programs. These enriching programs are designed to inspire a love of learning, support schools, and give parents peace of mind. Both organizations remain fully committed to this vital mission.

It is important to clarify that the staff member involved in the incident that occurred in January 2024 during a Right At School after-school program was an employee of Right At School, not the Palo Alto Unified School District. Upon learning of the incident, PAUSD immediately worked closely with Right At School and the employee was immediately terminated from their employment. While specific details of the allegations made cannot be shared due to privacy restrictions, PAUSD and Right At School are united in our commitment to diversity and inclusion, do not tolerate discrimination or retaliation, and remain committed to supporting the student and family involved in this incident.

We deeply value the trust families place in us and pledge to continue working diligently to uphold that trust.

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Right at School sent ABC7 a separate statement:

In an effort to protect the privacy of students enrolled in our program, we cannot address the specifics of the allegations. We can confirm we received an email from the child's mother on January 23rd, reporting incidents that occurred on January 22nd and 23rd. Right At School immediately conducted an investigation and terminated the involved employee on January 24th because he violated Right At School policies.

The child's parents continued his enrollment in the program for the remainder of the 2023/2024 school year and then re-enrolled him in the program for the current school year. Right At School supported the child throughout his enrollment in our program and continues to work with the child and his parents to support his success in the program.

Right At School values and celebrates the diversity of our student and employee population. All employees receive extensive training on our industry-leading DEI policies and practices. We do not tolerate discrimination or retaliation, and remain committed to supporting the student and family involved in this incident.

Attorneys say the parents recently pulled the boy from Escondido Elementary and are focused on filing claims against the district a necessary step before a lawsuit.

"I think we're gonna be in court demanding that not only that the claimant be, that his damages be handled, but also that change be effective for other children," Quadro said.

Quadro said, by law, the district has 45 days to respond to the claims filed before a lawsuit can be filed.