The Abridged version:
- Black students and students with disabilities were overrepresented in discipline records across the Natomas Unified School District, according to a two-year California Department of Justice investigation.
- A settlement between the district and state attorney general created a remediation plan, including policy changes, additional staff training and regular progress reports.
- The findings follow a grand jury report over the summer that found faults with Natomas Unified’s special education programs. They also echo a similar settlement in Sacramento City Unified two years ago.
Black students and students with disabilities were more likely to face suspension, expulsion or other forms of discipline throughout Natomas schools, according to the California Department of Justice.
Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday announced a settlement with Natomas Unified in northern Sacramento County. It includes a two-year remediation plan and follows a two-year investigation, which ended in September 2025.
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The investigation also found violations of student privacy laws and multiple suspensions for “willful defiance,” including disrupting class or not following teacher instructions.
The district, according to filing documents, denied wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement and remedial plan to avoid the costs of a lawsuit.
“The Department of Justice’s alleged findings do not reflect the realities faced at Natomas Unified and the significant work our District has undertaken over the past several years,” Deidra Powell, a spokesperson for Natomas Unified, said in a statement.
“The facts have never justified the DOJ’s level of engagement,” she added.
Similar accusations across Sacramento schools
Discipline discrimination allegations are not unique to Natomas.
In 2023, the Black Parallel School Board, an advocacy organization, settled a case with the Sacramento City Unified School District over similar complaints that students with disabilities, particularly students of color with disabilities, faced biased treatment.
Carl Pinkston, a leader with the parallel school board, said the group heard concerns coming out of Natomas, which was recently named the second most diverse school district in the country.
He said they also field phone calls from parents in Folsom Cordova Unified, Twin Rivers Unified, and other Sacramento area districts.
More likely to face discipline
Between the 2018-19 school year and fall of 2024, about a fifth of the Natomas student body was Black, the attorney general’s report states. Yet Black students represented almost half of all discipline referrals districtwide in that time period.
The attorney general’s investigation found Black students were almost four times more likely to receive a suspension or expulsion than white students.
Over that same 6½ years, students with disabilities made up about 14% of the Natomas Unified population but accounted for around 25% of discipline incidents.
The attorney general’s office said it spoke with community members who shared anecdotes of Black students or students with disabilities being treated differently in Natomas.
Solution plan in place
Out of the settlement came a remedial plan.
The agreement includes a change to district policy, clarifying how staff and educators respond to behavior incidents, along with additional training.
District leaders will also need to provide regular progress reports to the attorney general over two years, and administrators are required to discuss the district discipline policies at schools’ annual back-to-school night.
‘Be prepared for resistance’
Jenn Souza, a retired teacher and foster parent who has had students with disabilities in Natomas schools, said she sees the need for increased staff training.
She said she also hopes district leaders will use this opportunity to listen to families.
“My fear is the district is just going to check a box,” said Souza, who is running for school board this fall. “I think this is an opportunity for the district to go another direction.”
The recent settlement comes after a grand jury report this summer, which noted various faults with Natomas Unified’s special education programs. Among the findings was an overidentification of Black students as “emotionally disturbed.”
Grand jurors then recommended more training and listening sessions.
The 2023 settlement in Sacramento City Unified led to a corrective action plan. Years later, Pinkston said he sees the district starting to move in the right direction.
Pinkston said he was pleased the attorney general stepped in. The settlement, he said, should empower concerned families and community groups.
But, Pinkston said, they should be prepared for pushback.
“Be prepared for resistance,” he said. “Be prepared for a lot of complaints.”
