Burleson installing cameras in classrooms that serve students with ‘communication barriers’

Burleson school officials will place cameras in all classrooms that serve students with “communication barriers,” months after abuse allegations emerged against two elementary educators working with children who have disabilities. Mothers pushed for the widespread installation of cameras after their kids’ educators were arrested in November on misdemeanor charges of assault against an elderly or disabled individual. “Actions speak louder than words,” said Guilia Herndon, whose son Archer was in the Norwood Environmental Science Academy classroom where abuse allegations emerged. “I’m really glad that they’re going through with it and actually installing the cameras.”

Herndon and other parents took action after a teacher and an aide were accused of pinching students in their armpits, cupping hands over the children’s mouths to stop their cries and ridiculing them. After the incident, the parents learned about a Texas law designed to deter and prevent the abuse of the state’s most vulnerable students. In 2015, Texas established a process for families, educators and school trustees to request cameras in classrooms where students with disabilities learn. But the law doesn’t require schools to install cameras beyond the requests or to even notify families of the option. When cameras are in place, families can request a recording review when concerns about students safety arise. This is especially important when students can’t communicate what’s going on in the classroom, advocates have said. “Installing cameras in our special education classrooms that serve students with communication barriers is a priority,” Burleson spokeswoman Mikala Hill said in an email. Burleson officials already installed all the cameras they had on hand and are awaiting additional devices on backorder for the remaining classrooms serving students with disabilities who are unable to speak. Hill did not clarify how the district determined if a student had a communication barrier or how many classrooms the move would impact.