TVUSD Defends Its Position On Special Needs Students

The Temecula Valley Unified School District is dismissing allegations it is not protecting its special needs students.

On Aug. 12, the district issued a statement, just hours prior to a public forum that was, among other things, critical of the district’s handling of a 2012 police investigation that resulted in student arrests -- including some special needs students. The arrests stemmed from allegations of drug dealing on TVUSD campuses.

Click here to read about the December 2012 student arrests.

Click here to read about the Aug. 12 forum.

In its statement issued Monday, the district wrote, “TVUSD’s utmost commitment is to providing high quality education to approximately 29,000 students in safe schools that are free from crime and illicit activities. Therefore, when approached by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in July 2012 and informed of their suspicion that unlawful drug sales were occurring on two of the District’s high school campuses, TVUSD cooperated. 

“Receiving information about drug dealing on TVUSD campuses was highly concerning to District officials. Even if authorized to deny police access, TVUSD would have been remiss not to act on it,” the statement continued.

The district was absent from the Aug. 12 forum, which was spearheaded in part by Doug and Catherine Snodgrass, parents of a special needs boy snared in the 2012 investigation. The boy was ultimately allowed to stay in school. 

District officials shared this reason for their absence Monday night.

“Tonight, August 12, the family of one of the students arrested in the operation is hosting an event focusing on the propriety of the operation and questioning the wisdom of TVUSD for cooperating with the Riverside Sheriff’s Department. Due to the apparent purpose of the forum, desire to protect the privacy of students and the pending litigation between TVUSD and the family, TVUSD officials are unable to participate,” the statement read.

The Snodgrass's have challenged the district's handling of the 2012 investigation. Click here for more on that story.

Through its released statement Monday, the district provided its reason for allowing the police investigation.

“Additionally, TVUSD had no reason to question the propriety of the operation, or to believe the undercover officers acted unlawfully or inappropriately. To the contrary, TVUSD officials were informed that the officers were specially trained for this operation and that similar prior operations had been effective in removing dealers and reducing drug sales at schools," the statement read. 

"At the conclusion of the operation, TVUSD followed proper procedures in responding to the information provided by the investigation," the statement continued. "The students who sold drugs at school were arrested by the sheriff’s department and prosecuted; they were also disciplined by TVUSD, as appropriate."