By Eliza PARTIKA

At the Glendale Unified School District board meeting on Feb. 17, public commenters sought answers after the arrest of agency-contracted special education assistant Joseph Vladamir Sanchez on multiple charges related to “lewd acts with a child” and “sexual acts with a child under 14 years of age.” 

“As we continue to review, evaluate and strengthen our policies, procedures and practices in response to this situation, please know that we are listening and have heard your requests for more clarity. We will soon be scheduling community listening sessions to provide space for thoughtful conversations and to gather feedback from families,” stated GUSD Superintendent Darneika Watson in a Feb. 15th release to GUSD families. 

During public comment, community members called for increased transparency, independent community review of board hiring practices for third-party agencies, strengthened ethics and training policies, vetting of aides placed in special needs classrooms and even the resignation of board members for what community members called the board’s “extreme oversight.” 

“The question before the board is not guilt or innocence. How was someone with such serious charges ever placed with special needs students, what was vetting, did they independently verify background, what checks existed with credential verification, who reviewed placement, what supervision was in place? Special needs students are the most vulnerable,” said one commenter. 

“You’ve been elected and hired to educate and protect our children,” said another. “This is a major failure.”

Lea Awni, president of the Glendale Parent Teacher Association, said the PTA “stands unequivocally with survivors and for the safety of every child.” 

“There is no room for silence, demonization or delay when it comes to child abuse or sexual violence,” she said. “Children must be believed, protected and supported.”

Awni called for clear, transparent and enforced protocols that are trauma-informed and staff training that is ongoing so staff and teachers understand how to report their concerns. 

“Reporting procedures should be accessible and acted upon promptly. Students must have access to counseling, safety planning and professional support. Child safety is not a political issue. It is a moral imperative. PTA will not stand behind decisions that shield reputations instead of ensuring accountability. When child safety is involved, transparency is not optional – it is required,” she said. 

Another parent voiced his/her concerns as someone who has worked with vulnerable children. 

“The recent news of the arrest of a contracted employee has shaken our community. My heart and support are with the families impacted by this incident,” said the parent. “These incidents are not isolated to GUSD. These incidents happen far too often, which warranted SB848 to be passed into law.”

CalMatters reported that SB848, the Pupil Safety, School Employee Misconduct, and Child Abuse Prevention Act signed into law in October 2025 and largely effective on Jan. 1, 2026, strengthens child abuse prevention by expanding misconduct reporting, requiring new hiring disclosures for school employees and updating safety policies for both public and private schools. It enhances mandated reporter training and, by July 1, 2026, mandates districts to update school safety plans and enforce stricter policies on professional boundaries and school facility safety. 

“These are safety measures that we need to continue to strengthen. Procedures specifically designed to address supervision and protection from child abuse and sex offenses is critical,” the parent shared. “One thing I do urge our board, respectfully, is as you conduct this comprehensive review of contracting oversight, to ensure staff meet the same supervision training and accountability standards as district employees and that updated safety plans are well ahead of the [SB828’s] July 2026 deadline. And to help us by publicly outlining what changes are being implemented,” she said. 

Superintendent Darneika Watson released a letter on Feb. 5 stating GUSD is cooperating fully with the GPD in its criminal investigation and confirmed Sanchez was removed from all GUSD assignments. 

“He has not returned to any of our schools since the allegations came to our attention,” the letter states. “To preserve the integrity of the investigation, public communication regarding this matter was restricted at the request of the Glendale Police Dept. until now.”

In another letter dated Feb. 15, Watson updated GUSD families and community members on the full list of assignments Sanchez held at GUSD, as provided by the contracting agency – Covelo – and recently cleared by GPD for broad release.

Watson also stated in the letter of Feb. 15 that Sanchez “was contracted through an agency, California Respite Care, via the Lanterman Regional Center at Wilson Middle School in the afterschool child care program from Aug. 20-Sept. 25, 2025.”

According to a press release from the Glendale Police Dept. dated Feb. 5, 

Glendale Police Dept. officers responded “to a report involving a student who disclosed sexual abuse by an agency-contracted special education assistant at a Glendale elementary school” on Dec. 19, 2025. The release states “the incident involved an 8-year-old special needs student and occurred on school grounds.”

“Detectives immediately initiated an investigation that revealed evidence corroborating the reported crime,” the press release states. 

On Dec. 20, 2025, GPD arrested 25-year-old  Sanchez. Following his arrest, Sanchez posted bail and was scheduled to appear for arraignment on Feb. 4. 

At Sanchez’s arraignment on Feb. 4, new evidence was presented relating to the ongoing investigation. In the course of their continued investigation, GPD detectives “successfully identified and located two additional underage victims,” states the release. 

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has filed the following charges against Sanchez: two counts of California Penal Code (PC) 288.7, three counts of PC 288(b), two counts of PC 288(a), and one count of PC 311.11, for a total of eight charges. 

The GPD release goes on to state that at the time of his arrest, Sanchez was a contracted special education assistant from Covelo Group and assigned to Columbus Elementary School and Glenoaks Elementary School. He was not an employee of the Glendale Unified School District or the City of Glendale.

Glendale Police Dept. detectives are actively seeking additional victims or witnesses related to these incidents involving Sanchez. The investigation has led detectives to believe there may be additional victims dating back as far as three years. 

Anyone who has been impacted by this incident is encouraged to contact the Glendale Police Dept.. The Glendale Unified School District is cooperating fully and has offered its support in assisting with identifying potential victims and witnesses.