ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – An APS father said the school district failed his son with autism after he was maced by an APS officer at Rio Grande High School during some kind of confrontation.

“We received a call on February 16, 2024, around 2:30 pm from the school saying that our son was pepper sprayed and we needed to come down to pick him up,” said Philip Paulos, Jackson Turnbull-Espinoza’s father.

Paulos said his son has always been friendly and outgoing and it was unusual to get the call because he hasn’t had any disciplinary history with the school.

In the video, Turnbull-Espinoza is seen cursing at the APS officer when he is maced by the officer. Paulos said his son is autistic and has an Individualized Educational Plan. His IEP specifies he needs to be in a reduced class size and that he should have been accompanied by his one-on-one aid when he was on his way to P.E. class.

“I feel the school definitely failed our child in giving him the services and following his IEP and putting him in this problematic position of assault from the officer,” he said.

Paulos said they reached out to the district and asked where his aid was and have not heard back.

APS Superintendent Scott Elder did send out a statement following the incident, apologizing for the trauma the situation caused saying, “The district’s main focus is the safety and security of all students and staff. It is imperative we meet and support the emotional and physical needs of every student we serve.”

“I feel like they weren’t very proactive when the incident occurred. We didn’t hear from the principal for a whole week until after the incident occurred. So, we feel just failed by the system and our son is not doing well,” Paulos said.

The family has hired an attorney. Paulos said he never wants another family to go through this and hopes APS trains their school officers more in the future.

“I feel all of APS school officers need some kind of de-escalation training in how to identify special needs kids and even know who these kids are within the school so when they do encounter kids have social issues and disabilities,” he said.

Turnbull-Epinoza was suspended for a few days following the incident. The district placed the officer on leave 11 days after it happened.

The full statement from Superintendent Scott Elder is below:

“An Albuquerque Public Schools police officer has been placed on leave pending the outcome of an investigation focused on the officer’s handling of a student restraint incident.

The incident occurred on Friday, Feb. 16, on the campus of Rio Grande High School. A student in the main courtyard of the campus refused police orders to stop screaming obscenities and calm down. When the student failed to comply, he was sprayed with mace and handcuffed.

If the investigation determines the treatment of the student does not align with acceptable restraint practices, further action may be taken.

School and district officials are actively working with the student’s family, but we are not at liberty to discuss the details of those conversations or the incident with anyone other than the student and his family.

I want to personally apologize for the trauma this situation caused. The district’s main focus is the safety and security of all students and staff. It is imperative we meet and support the emotional and physical needs of every student we serve.”