Parents of nonverbal students in the Bakersfield City School District are pushing for cameras inside special education classrooms, saying they often don’t know what happens during the school day and want more transparency and protection for vulnerable children.
Since January, Ashley Hopwood, a mother of two nonverbal children, has organized a petition on Change.org calling for cameras to be added to special education classrooms. The petition has reached more than 4,000 signatures. Hopwood said the effort is not meant to attack teachers, but to ensure students are protected and families feel heard.
Hopwood said she started the petition after hearing from community members and families about concerns in the district…