California school district investigating after teacher seen in video apparently mocking students

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- The Santa Ana, California Unified School District has opened an investigation after footage emerged of an elementary teacher apparently mocking children inside a classroom for students with special needs.

Video shows a teacher at Carver Elementary School confront a student and repeatedly tap scissors on the desk.

"Don't even think you're not going to do work. Do you understand?" the teacher said in a raised voice to the student.

Attorney Elan Zektser, who represents six families with children in the teacher's current class, claims threats of legal action several years ago led the school district to relocate the teacher to Carver Elementary.

"The families should have never had to discover this video in the first place," Zektser said. "The problem is that the school district was well aware for many, many years that this teacher had been verbally abusing, neglecting the special needs children of the community."

One of the students accidentally recorded the teacher in the classroom for about half of the day on an iPad, Zektser said. The footage has now led to an investigation.

"One of the mothers who was suspicious about what was happening in the classroom reviewed the videotape and then shared it in the close-knit community," Zektser said.

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Angelica Gurrola's 9-year-old son, who is nonverbal, is seen in another clip getting confronted by the teacher. The teacher is seen getting in the student's face, and appears to yell at him.

"As a mother, it deeply broke my heart. It hurts when I remember it. It will continue to hurt," Gurrola said in Spanish as she fought back tears.

Gurrola said the teacher contributed to her son's verbal regression and troubling changes in his behavior.

"He would wake up crying in the middle of the night, saying 'teacher, teacher,'" she recalled.

Santa Ana Unified released a statement in response to the claims that said in part:

"The safety and well-being of our students are our highest priorities. We have initiated a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the incident and will take all necessary actions based on our findings."

Gurrola called for the teacher and the school's principal to be removed.

Zektser said if action isn't taken, then they will move forward with filing a lawsuit.

The children currently have a substitute teacher.