Two former employees of Mountain Ridge High School and the Deer Valley Unified School District say they were pushed out of their jobs after raising alarms about the treatment of students with disabilities — allegations now detailed in a Notice of Claim filed against DVUSD.
Special education teacher Annie Hughes, former district employee Alicia Quintero and a school psychologist accuse the district of ignoring reports of misconduct in a special education classroom, then retaliating against those who spoke up.
“It was devastating. I went from a respected teacher to someone who was called wacko and a villain just for advocating for students,” Hughes said.
Hughes says she first noticed troubling practices last October.
According to the Notice of Claim, a different special education teacher — assisted by a paraprofessional — allegedly withheld lunch as punishment, used unauthorized behavioral intervention plans and failed to address student behaviors in a legally compliant way. The claim also states the “unlawful actions targeted two special needs students of Hispanic descent.”
“The biggest one that first caught my attention was withholding food as punishment,” Hughes said. “If they had a good day, they got to eat with their peers. If they had a bad day, they were punished accordingly.”
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She also described students being forced to “earn” access to sensory tools, blankets, weighted items, bathroom breaks, and water — practices she says are unethical.
Hughes says Assistant Principal Breanne Cole initially appeared receptive to her concerns, but no meaningful changes followed. Soon after, others came forward, including Quintero, whose daughter was among the students allegedly affected.
“I took it to our admin, and I really thought this was going to be taken care of,” Quintero said. “We were basically given the run around the entire time.”
Their attorneys argue that instead of addressing the reported violations, district leadership — through Cole — accused the whistleblowers of causing problems, stripped them of responsibilities, and created a hostile work environment. Hughes and Quintero say the pressure ultimately forced them to resign.
In a statement to ABC15, the Deer Valley Unified School District said it has “received the notice of claim” and that “the investigation concerning students at Mountain Ridge High School remains ongoing.” The district added that it is “committed to fostering safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environments across all schools and programs.”
“Many staff looked away and were very aware of what was going on,” Hughes said. “From my understanding, to this day, no one has been held accountable.”
The Notice of Claim seeks hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. The district has 60 days to respond — and potentially settle — before a lawsuit can be filed in court.
Read the full district response below:
"DVUSD received the notice of claim.
The investigation concerning students at Mountain Ridge High School remains ongoing. Additionally, because this matter involves students, the District is extremely limited in the information it can share due to federal and state law requirements. However, the District has been and remains fully cooperative with all relevant agencies throughout the investigative process.
As a school district serving more than 30,000 students, Deer Valley Unified School District is committed to fostering safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environments across all schools and programs.
DVUSD Administration”
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