A Tulare County court dismissed the misdemeanor child abuse complaint against a former Visalia Unified special education teacher on statute-of-limitations grounds. Amanda Simmons appeared on camera in the coverage alongside co-counsel Leigh Anne Hodge. The criminal case has ended; the families’ civil claims continue.

Amanda Simmons was quoted in ABC30 Fresno’s coverage of the arraignment in the Visalia Unified special education abuse case, as families of nonverbal students spoke publicly for the first time. Ambika Law represents families of nonverbal students with disabilities who allege that Visalia Unified School District failed to act on reports of physical abuse in a self-contained special education classroom at Highland Elementary School — and did not tell parents for more than a year.

Ambika Law is proud to share that founder and children’s rights attorney Amanda Simmons has been selected to serve as a member of the California Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) Special Education Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee provides non-binding recommendations to improve California’s special education hearing and mediation processes, helping shape how disputes between families and school districts are handled throughout the state.

In August 2025, the Orange County Bar Association’s Mommy Esq. Committee selected Amanda Simmons, founder of Ambika Law, to present her program, “Bullies & Mean Girls: Protecting Your Child Online and at School.” The session was designed for attorneys, parents, and advocates seeking a deeper understanding of the legal landscape surrounding bullying in both traditional school settings and online environments.

Amanda Simmons, founder of Ambika Law, PC, co-authored “IDEA, ADA and 504: Effective Representation of Youth in Residential Treatment Centers,” a whitepaper published by the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) and presented at the organization’s 2025 Annual Conference. She wrote the piece with fellow attorneys David German and Leigh Anne Hodges.