In Midland, Texas, six teachers and a school principal were either fired or resigned after parents learned that students with disabilities had been restrained for extended periods and allegedly neglected in the classroom. Many of these children are nonverbal, making them unable to tell their families what happened.

One of those parents, Daniela Santos, said she watched video footage of her 4-year-old daughter crying and screaming for help. That video, recorded by a classroom camera, showed behavior that parents say was never reported to them by the school. But the district required families to sign non-disclosure agreements before allowing them to view the footage. Those agreements barred parents from recording or publicly describing what they saw—even when it involved their own children.

Under Texas law, special education classrooms are required to have cameras if requested, and incidents involving physical restraints must be reported. But disability rights advocates say the law is not working as intended. Footage from the cameras cannot be monitored in real time. There are no clear rules about how quickly parents can view it. And schools across the state have been found to underreport the use of restraints, despite legal requirements to document them.

In this case, the Midland Independent School District has said it referred the matter to state agencies and has promised to improve safety measures in special education classrooms. But that does not undo what happened to the children who were restrained or left unsupported when they cried for help.

Families should not have to sign away their right to speak up. And students with disabilities should not be left without protections just because they cannot speak for themselves.

We are calling on Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Education Agency, and members of the Texas Legislature to strengthen the state’s oversight of special education classrooms. Laws must be updated to ensure that parents can access footage without being silenced, that districts follow mandatory reporting requirements, and that staff are properly trained to support students with disabilities.

Every child deserves safety and dignity in the classroom. Sign this petition if you agree it’s time for Texas to act.

Photo Credit: Rikki Delgado for The Texas Tribune