A historic court order to end race-based policing in Southern California schools settled in 2024 after lawsuit by DRC client.

What began as a harrowing series of events for a young student of color with disabilities, ended with a first of its kind settlement to reduce reliance on school policing, and a 1.5-million-dollar settlement in damages. This outcome is directly tied to the bravery of the child and their family for pursuing justice to ensure that nothing like what happened to them would ever happen to another student.

Background

Over a four-month period in 2019, C.B., a Black student with disabilities who was then a 10-year-old and barely 70 pounds, was repeatedly tackled, handcuffed, taken into custody and then referred to law enforcement by Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) school resource officers for exhibiting disability-related behaviors that posed no danger of physical harm to anyone.

At no point in any of these encounters were measures taken to intervene in a therapeutic manner, despite C.B. having a behavior support plan which outlined the need for positive re-direction. “There was a plan in place for teachers to re-direct his behaviors or leave him alone to let him de-regulate and that he would calm down and at that point you could address those behaviors,” said Meeth Soni, C.B.’s counsel and attorney with Disability Rights California. Instead, he was met with punishment and violence.

Breakthrough

After years of litigation, in 2024 the Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) was ordered to make extensive district-wide changes, as well as reduce its reliance on school police and security officers to respond to students with disabilities.

School resource officers can’t discriminate against students with disabilities by punishing students for their disability behavior. The order requires MVUSD to significantly reduce the disproportionate referral, removal, and restraint of disabled and Black disabled students from classrooms by reforming school district policies, implementing comprehensive training for school-based staff, and collecting and monitoring data. The school district must also set up a system for community input in the process.

C.B.’s family hopes that this case will set an example for other schools. “For this family, it meant a lot to them that what happened to their child won’t happen ever again,” Meeth said. “A lot of times people only receive damages and because of this family's awareness and care and concern, they also wanted to make sure that the relief we got here also ended with reform.”