Parents in the Saratoga Union School District are turning up the heat on trustees after the district acknowledged that an uncleared adult took part in after-school activities at Redwood Middle School during the 2024–25 school year. The lapse in volunteer screening has sparked pointed questions at public board meetings, formal complaints filed last fall, and now, a petition demanding more transparency and stronger safeguards. A third-party review is underway.
The anonymous petition, created on Christmas Day and hosted on Change.org, frames the situation as part of a broader pattern of safety and governance failures. As of Tuesday, it had collected dozens of signatures calling for an independent review and a public timeline, according to Change.org. The petition points back to public comments at the district’s Dec. 11 board meeting and presses trustees to spell out corrective steps and protections against retaliation. Organizers emphasize that they are seeking accountability, not a community pile-on.
What the district requires
On paper, Saratoga’s volunteer rules are strict. District policy calls for a three-step clearance process before adults who may be in contact with students can volunteer: a signed volunteer packet, a TB risk assessment and Live Scan fingerprinting. That process is outlined by the Saratoga Union School District, which notes that fingerprinting is handled through a designated Live Scan location and that TB assessments must be renewed periodically. Parents and petitioners say those safeguards did not work as intended in this case and are urging a wider review of how the system failed.
Parents’ complaints and a formal filing
Parents at Redwood say they first approached community member Alicia De Fuentes in September 2025 after noticing that an uncleared adult was present, according to Los Gatan. De Fuentes filed a formal complaint with the district on Nov. 11. Families told the paper that some of the responses they received in the weeks that followed felt dismissive, which they say helped push them toward launching the petition and speaking out during the December board meeting.
District response and outside review
Trustee Cynthia Miller told the local outlet that the district immediately hired Lincoln White Investigations to dig into what happened and that officials have discovered a gap in our process, according to Los Gatan. Miller said the district intends to share the review’s findings with nearby districts and with the Saratoga community once investigators finish their work. District leaders say they will not interfere with the independent review and have not set a deadline for its completion, a wait-and-see stance that has some parents growing impatient.
What petitioners want
The petition calls on trustees to complete a full independent investigation, publicly release the findings and corrective actions with a clear timeline, strengthen clearance protocols across the district and create protections so parents can raise concerns without fear of retaliation, according to Change.org. Organizers also raise pointed questions about whether someone with a serious criminal history was allowed to coach teams and whether records or student data might have been exposed. Supporters argue that only a transparent accounting of what happened will rebuild trust in local schools.
Law and policy context
The controversy is unfolding within a fairly detailed legal framework. California’s Justia listing of Education Code section 35021 and related statutes notes that districts can use non-teaching volunteers but must run background checks in many situations, and section 35021.3 specifically authorizes registries for after-school instructors who are subject to criminal background checks. Those laws are meant to balance community participation with student safety. Petitioners argue that when a lapse is alleged, districts have a responsibility to show that oversight is more than a checklist.
Board meetings and next steps
The district posts board agendas, minutes and recordings online, and officials have said the investigation could land on a future agenda once results are available. The Saratoga Union School District site lists recent meeting recordings, including the Dec. 11 session where parents first brought concerns into the public spotlight. For now, petition organizers say they will keep collecting signatures and keep pressing for a clear public explanation of the review’s scope and outcomes…