Parents File Lawsuit to Block Closure of TIDE Academy in Menlo Park

Lawsuit alleges Sequoia Union High School District discriminated against students with disabilities by shutting down the small, STEM-focused school.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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A group of parents have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Sequoia Union High School District to try and stop the closure of TIDE Academy, a small STEM-focused high school in Menlo Park. The lawsuit alleges the district discriminated against students with disabilities by shutting down the school, which provided crucial support and accommodations for many neurodivergent students who struggled at larger campuses. The parents are seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the school from closing this summer.

Why it matters

TIDE Academy serves a disproportionately high number of socioeconomically disadvantaged students and those with learning disabilities. The lawsuit argues the school's closure will deny these vulnerable students access to the educational support and strong community they need to thrive, violating disability rights laws.

The details

The Sequoia Union High School District voted in early February to close TIDE Academy at the end of this school year, citing budget deficits and declining enrollment. But parents say the decision-making process was flawed, with the district allegedly using a communications consultant to craft messaging and a pre-set timeline before engaging the community. The lawsuit claims TIDE is the "functional equivalent of an accessibility ramp" for many students with autism, anxiety, ADHD and other disabilities who cannot function at larger high school campuses.

  • The Sequoia district board first floated the idea of closing TIDE in November 2025.
  • On February 4, 2026, the board unanimously voted to shut down TIDE at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
  • The lawsuit was filed on February 13, 2026, seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the closure.

The players

TIDE Rising

A group of parents who filed the civil rights lawsuit against the Sequoia Union High School District to try and save TIDE Academy.

Sequoia Union High School District

The school district that voted to close TIDE Academy, citing budget deficits and declining enrollment.

Leigh Law Group

The San Francisco-based law firm representing the TIDE Rising parents in the lawsuit.

Crystal Leach

The superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District.

Mary Beth Thompson

A member of the Sequoia Union High School District board who announced the district would explore closing TIDE Academy.

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What they’re saying

“At TIDE, 'the small teacher-to-student ratio has changed everything.' She concludes: 'While her IEP exists on paper, TIDE is the only place where it is implemented as intended.'”

— J.L., TIDE parent (Lawsuit)

“They literally paid for a communications consultant out of Sacramento to draft all their messaging, rather than hiring somebody to brainstorm, or just sit with parents and say, 'Hey, what would be a good solution here?' They've spent my money, as a taxpayer, on some company to make the communications look palatable.”

— Jason Primuth, TIDE parent (Almanac News)

What’s next

A hearing has been scheduled for March 3 at 2 p.m. in Courtroom 9 at 450 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco, where the judge will decide whether to grant the parents' request for a temporary restraining order to stop the school's closure.

The takeaway

This case highlights the challenges facing school districts in balancing budgets and enrollment with providing specialized educational support for vulnerable students. The lawsuit alleges the Sequoia district violated disability rights laws by removing access to TIDE Academy, which many neurodivergent students relied on to succeed academically and socially.