Parents of students at Chaparral Elementary School in Albuquerque are demanding changes to district policies after allegations that a fourth-grade student inappropriately touched at least 10 classmates led to an investigation that concluded without sufficient evidence. The case became public during the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education meeting on June 17, when parent Victoria Standley addressed board members about her son’s allegations. “My son is a fourth-grade student. He was the first child to report that a classmate had been touching him in a sexually inappropriate way,” Standley told the board. Standley later told KOAT she first learned about the allegations in March when the school’s vice principal called her. “The vice principal added that my son said it had been happening to other kids, so they started talking to other kids and found out that it had,” Standley said. Another parent, Alexandria Pacheco, said she received a call from the assistant principal the day before spring break and later asked her son directly about the incident. “He said, yeah, so-and-so student touched me here,” Pacheco said. “And I was like, well, what did you do? And he’s like, I would tell him to stop.” An APS Equal Opportunity Services report dated June 12, obtained by KOAT from a parent, states that 10 student statements alleged similar conduct involving the accused student at Chaparral Elementary. According to the report, students said the child “grabbed their crotch” and “had touched their bottom” over clothing. The report says a planned Safehouse interview with the accused student did not occur because the student’s guardian declined to sign the agreement form, citing disagreement with its wording. APS ultimately concluded there was “no corroborated evidence” that inappropriate touching occurred. The report also noted investigators could not determine whether similarities in the students’ statements were the result of “conscious or unconscious collusion.” Standley said that explanation was one of the most troubling parts of the report. “And my first thought was, if you know a fourth grader, they can’t plan ahead or collude on anything,” she said. Pacheco also rejected that conclusion, saying the children were not all part of the same friend group and would have no reason to fabricate such allegations. “They did not get together and say, let’s all say that he touched us here,” Pacheco said. “Why? Because that’s embarrassing.” The report also found the principal circumvented the EOS process by issuing a three-day suspension to the accused student before the investigation was complete. The principal told investigators she issued the suspension due to the volume of allegations. Both mothers criticized the district’s handling of the case after spring break, saying the three-day suspension was insufficient. Pacheco said families were presented with no-contact contracts that made her son feel like he was the one in trouble. “They were protecting the abuser instead of the victims,” Pacheco said. Pacheco also said she never received the EOS findings report and only learned of its contents after Standley shared it with her. In emails reviewed by KOAT, Pacheco repeatedly asked APS administrators about safety measures, broader questioning of students, and stronger action. APS responded that the allegations were being investigated by APS police and EOS and later closed the service ticket. “I think they’re trying to brush it under the rug,” Pacheco said. Standley, who identified herself as a social worker, said APS needs to adopt a more trauma-informed process for investigating student-on-student sexual misconduct. She called for revisions to the district’s sexual harassment policies and the inclusion of a clinician in policy development for matters affecting student emotional well-being. “What I would tell APS is please hear and believe our children,” Standley said. “The way you respond to them telling you hard things will impact them for the rest of their lives.” Pacheco said the case has shaken her family’s trust in the district’s ability to protect children. “I don’t think that we can trust the policies and procedures that APS has in place when it comes to sexual misconduct in the school,” she said. In a statement to KOAT, the APS Director of Communications wrote: “Due to privacy laws, we are restricted in what we can disclose about this matter. We recognize how difficult cases like this are and remain committed to continuously refining our processes. It’s worth noting that parties maintain the right to appeal any findings or file a formal complaint with the Office of Civil Rights.” The EOS report says the complainant has 10 calendar days to appeal the findings. Standley said she plans to continue pushing for policy changes, while Pacheco said she is still seeking her own copy of the report to determine her next steps. “It’s really a cry for change for our students, for the safety and well-being of them every day when they go to school,” Pacheco said.
Parents of students at Chaparral Elementary School in Albuquerque are demanding changes to district policies after allegations that a fourth-grade student inappropriately touched at least 10 classmates led to an investigation that concluded without sufficient evidence.
The case became public during the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education meeting on June 17, when parent Victoria Standley addressed board members about her son’s allegations.
“My son is a fourth-grade student. He was the first child to report that a classmate had been touching him in a sexually inappropriate way,” Standley told the board.
Standley later told KOAT she first learned about the allegations in March when the school’s vice principal called her.
“The vice principal added that my son said it had been happening to other kids, so they started talking to other kids and found out that it had,” Standley said.
Another parent, Alexandria Pacheco, said she received a call from the assistant principal the day before spring break and later asked her son directly about the incident.
“He said, yeah, so-and-so student touched me here,” Pacheco said. “And I was like, well, what did you do? And he’s like, I would tell him to stop.”
An APS Equal Opportunity Services report dated June 12, obtained by KOAT from a parent, states that 10 student statements alleged similar conduct involving the accused student at Chaparral Elementary. According to the report, students said the child “grabbed their crotch” and “had touched their bottom” over clothing.
The report says a planned Safehouse interview with the accused student did not occur because the student’s guardian declined to sign the agreement form, citing disagreement with its wording.
APS ultimately concluded there was “no corroborated evidence” that inappropriate touching occurred. The report also noted investigators could not determine whether similarities in the students’ statements were the result of “conscious or unconscious collusion.”
Standley said that explanation was one of the most troubling parts of the report.
“And my first thought was, if you know a fourth grader, they can’t plan ahead or collude on anything,” she said.
Pacheco also rejected that conclusion, saying the children were not all part of the same friend group and would have no reason to fabricate such allegations.
“They did not get together and say, let’s all say that he touched us here,” Pacheco said. “Why? Because that’s embarrassing.”
The report also found the principal circumvented the EOS process by issuing a three-day suspension to the accused student before the investigation was complete. The principal told investigators she issued the suspension due to the volume of allegations.
Both mothers criticized the district’s handling of the case after spring break, saying the three-day suspension was insufficient. Pacheco said families were presented with no-contact contracts that made her son feel like he was the one in trouble.
“They were protecting the abuser instead of the victims,” Pacheco said.
Pacheco also said she never received the EOS findings report and only learned of its contents after Standley shared it with her. In emails reviewed by KOAT, Pacheco repeatedly asked APS administrators about safety measures, broader questioning of students, and stronger action. APS responded that the allegations were being investigated by APS police and EOS and later closed the service ticket.
“I think they’re trying to brush it under the rug,” Pacheco said.
Standley, who identified herself as a social worker, said APS needs to adopt a more trauma-informed process for investigating student-on-student sexual misconduct. She called for revisions to the district’s sexual harassment policies and the inclusion of a clinician in policy development for matters affecting student emotional well-being.
“What I would tell APS is please hear and believe our children,” Standley said. “The way you respond to them telling you hard things will impact them for the rest of their lives.”
Pacheco said the case has shaken her family’s trust in the district’s ability to protect children.
“I don’t think that we can trust the policies and procedures that APS has in place when it comes to sexual misconduct in the school,” she said.
In a statement to KOAT, the APS Director of Communications wrote: “Due to privacy laws, we are restricted in what we can disclose about this matter. We recognize how difficult cases like this are and remain committed to continuously refining our processes. It’s worth noting that parties maintain the right to appeal any findings or file a formal complaint with the Office of Civil Rights.”
The EOS report says the complainant has 10 calendar days to appeal the findings. Standley said she plans to continue pushing for policy changes, while Pacheco said she is still seeking her own copy of the report to determine her next steps.
“It’s really a cry for change for our students, for the safety and well-being of them every day when they go to school,” Pacheco said.
