Pueblo Parents Pull Disabled Daughter Out Of School

It’s unclear whether a disabled student in Pueblo School District 60 will graduate as scheduled this month after her parents took her out of South High School on Monday.

The parents of Hannah Baca, who turns 19 at graduation, has septo-optic dysplasia, a condition that leaves her legally blind, often confined to a wheelchair and able to function at the level of a 5-year-old.

Baca’s parents, Gregory and Paula Johanson, said they’re upset that a licensed classroom aide known as a para-pro hasn’t been providing her with proper care.

“(Not) washing her hands (or) washing her face, and she’s been known to come home with fecal matter in her underwear because she’s not being taken care of,” said Gregory Johanson. He said he’s heard that other students in a class of about 15 disabled students aren’t being properly cared for.

The Johansons said they confronted the para-pro about the situation and were dissatisfied with her response.

“To disregard parents who are concerned about their children and cuss at them, and then turn around and lie about it, those are dangerous people,” said Paula Johanson.

The couple said they have complained to the school’s assistant principal and to D-60 administrators who have failed to resolve the situation. The Johansons said they may consider filing a lawsuit alleging D-60 is in violation of the American Disabilities Act.

Hannah’s parents said D-60 disagreed with the decision to withdraw her, and her father believes the district has financial motives.

“They get paid a lot of money to have disabled children in the school district, and if a child is missing, they don’t get that reimbursement,” he said.

The Johansons said they realize that their daughter’s classroom has fewer para-pros than required, but expect the district to provide proper care and supervision for Hannah and other students like her. The parents said the situation has been a problem for several years, but they’ve endured it because D-60 was the best option for Hannah.

“What my daughter is aware of right now, is that she’s not in school and she’s not around her friends and her daily activities,” said Gregory Johanson. “Her normalcy has been violated. Because of this situation, that’s really all she’s aware of. She doesn’t know somebody’s done something wrong to her.”

“My sister is cool,” said Hannah’s brother, Phillip, 12. “I just want them to take care of her.”

Greg Sinn, communications officer for the district, released the following statement in response:

“Due to federal student privacy protection rights, Pueblo City Schools is not able to comment on such student matters.”