California parents push for mandatory cameras in special education classrooms

In the Central Valley, parents of children with disabilities are campaigning for a state law that would mandate cameras in special-education classrooms. Online petitions have attracted over 12,800 signatures in the Bakersfield City School District and more than 2,700 in the Visalia Unified School District. The movement was sparked by a September 2025 police tip that suggested physical abuse by kindergarten teacher Lacie Ann Horsting toward three of Brittney Camacho’s children, two of whom are non-verbal and one with echolalia.

The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office filed ten misdemeanor child-abuse counts in April, but the case was later dismissed after the one-year limitation period elapsed. Parents contend that video surveillance would provide a safeguard for children who cannot voice concerns and could also help educators refine teaching methods. However, a 1976 California statute that bars recording devices in classrooms without consent from teachers and principals may pose a legislative hurdle, and the California Teachers Association has not taken an official stance on the proposal.