To the Members of the NC  State Legislatures  Office 

Our most vulnerable children deserve protection, accountability, and a safe environment when they are away from their families. We, the undersigned parents, caregivers, advocates, and community members, are calling for the immediate passage of North Carolina legislation—and ultimately federal protections—requiring audio and video monitoring in all Exceptional Children (EC) classrooms and all private Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy centers and clinics.

Many of these children are non-verbal, medically fragile, or too young to fully communicate what happens during the school or therapy day. Some are only 2 or 3 years old and may spend 30 to 40 hours each week in these environments. When something goes wrong, they often cannot explain it, report it, or ask for help. In many cases, there is no independent record of what occurred.

For families of children with special needs and communication challenges, this creates a major safety concern that can no longer be ignored.

Why this matters:

• Non-verbal and communication-impaired children cannot always report abuse, neglect, mistreatment, or inappropriate conduct. Parents should not be forced to rely solely on assumptions when their child is unable to speak for themselves. Recorded audio and video can provide an unbiased account of incidents and help protect both children and staff.

• ABA centers currently operate under classifications that differ from licensed childcare facilities. Because of this, they may not receive the same routine oversight, inspections, or monitoring systems that traditional childcare settings are subject to. While mandated reporting laws still exist, there is often limited proactive oversight designed specifically to safeguard these vulnerable children.

• In many ABA settings, the professionals providing the majority of direct, hands-on care are technicians working under supervision. Although supervising clinicians hold licenses and credentials, many front-line workers are not state-licensed and may enter the field with minimal initial training requirements before working directly with children.

• Families deserve transparency and accountability. When concerns arise inside a facility, parents should have confidence that incidents are documented clearly and reviewed objectively rather than handled privately behind closed doors.

• Because ABA centers are not regulated in the same way as traditional childcare programs, some of the safety standards and public transparency measures parents expect in other child-focused environments may not fully apply.

• Parents should also have access to stronger transparency regarding employee screening and safety procedures so they can make informed decisions about who is caring for their children each day.

Every day without these protections leaves vulnerable children without a reliable voice or independent witness while they are away from home.

We are demanding immediate action to require audio and video surveillance, while still respecting reasonable privacy protections, in all EC classrooms and ABA facilities serving children. We also call for stronger oversight standards, improved transparency, and clearer accountability measures to better protect children with special needs and communication challenges.

Our children deserve safety. They deserve dignity. And when they cannot speak for themselves, they deserve protections that help ensure their well-being is never hidden behind closed doors.

Please sign and share this petition. Contact your elected officials and urge them to support legislation that prioritizes the safety and protection of children in EC classrooms and ABA therapy settings.

Together, we can fight for accountability, expose what happens behind closed doors, and ensure that no child with special needs is ever left unheard, unseen, or unprotected again.