A disability rights group filed a federal lawsuit against a Texas border school district over its refusal to turn over records related to complaints of alleged abuse against toddlers and young children. The district has a history of corruption and even saw board members land in federal prisons as a result.
Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) filed suit in the U.S. Southern District Court in McAllen, Texas, against the Donna Independent School District, claiming they denied access to records about the alleged abuse of five students between the ages of three and five years. The group is a non-profit advocacy agency tasked with protecting the civil rights of individuals with disabilities, they say. The legal complaint notes that DRTx is “designated” and “authorized” by the State of Texas to access victim records for investigation.
The lawsuit, which also names Donna ISD Superintendent Angela Dominguez, states the advocacy group requested the records on behalf of the victims’ parents — which were ultimately denied.
The saga began when DRTx received a complaint from parents of students with disabilities attending Rivas Elementary School, alleging abuse and neglect by adult supervisors. The group requested records on May 10, 2022, the lawsuit noted.
According to court documents, on May 23, the agency filed another request for files and video records related to two additional students. Two more attempts were made to follow up on the requests from June 3 to June 23, receiving no response. As of July 15, no records have been provided to Disability Rights Texas, the lawsuit revealed. As of the filing date, the organization also did not receive clarification if Donna ISD had referred the requests to the Texas Attorney General for an opinion on disclosure exceptions, according to the complaint.
Breitbart Texas has reported extensively on Donna ISD and its long history of corruption and scandals. In 2016, two school board members pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for contracts.
Luisana Moreno is a contributing writer for Breitbart Texas.
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