Meet the Team

Jaime E. Hernandez, Ed. D, Independent Monitor

Dr. Jaime E. Hernandez was appointed as the Independent Monitor to oversee the 2023 Settlement Agreement in Black Parallel School Board v. Sacramento City Unified School District on November 21,2025. With over 25 years of experience in education, Dr. Hernandez has served as a general and special education teacher, school psychologist, court monitor, consultant, expert, adjunct professor, and advocate. For 15 years, Dr. Hernandez served as the Research Director for the Office of the Independent Monitor under the federal Chanda Smith Modified Consent Decree (MCD) v. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). During this time, he oversaw LAUSD’s compliance with 18 data-based outcomes, the development and implementation of two large data systems, and the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) across over 1,000 schools, supporting more than 85,000 students with disabilities.

Dr. Hernandez is also an expert consultant on issues related to the disproportionality of Black students and English Learners in special education identification, segregation in special education placements (Least Restrictive Environment), and disciplinary removals. He has conducted evaluations of district’s special education programs to identify systemic weaknesses that contribute to disproportionality.

Amparo Martinez Cruz, Ed. S, Monitoring Specialist

Amparo Martinez Cruz is the Monitoring Specialist for the Sacramento City Office of the Independent Monitor. In her previous role, Amparo served as Research Assistant to the Independent Monitor under the federal Chanda Smith Modified Consent Decree (MCD) v. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where she participated in various research studies developing and administering phone surveys, collecting, facilitating focus groups, verifying service delivery, and monitoring comprehensive evaluations to address the disproportionate identification and placement of African American students with an emotional disturbance..

Amparo possesses a comprehensive background in education spanning thirteen years. This experience includes roles as a Senior Behavior Interventionist, an intern for the MTSS Program Specialist at Santa Ana Unified School District, and as a school psychologist within the Los Angeles Unified School District. These diverse experiences have honed Amparo’s expertise in applying behavioral principals with students representing a range of disabilities and behavioral needs, navigating the intricate dynamics of a large urban school district, and comprehending the multifaceted role of special education laws and regulations.

Jay R. Alleman, Senior Data Analyst

Jay Alleman is the Senior Data Analyst for the Sacramento City Office of the Independent Monitor. In his previous role, he served as the Chief Analyst to the Independent Monitor for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where he was responsible for implementing and overseeing office procedures and managing the budget.

Over his career, he has served in various roles, including teacher, advisor, principal, and administrative coordinator. With 48 years of experience in special education—18 of those as a principal in LAUSD—he brings extensive expertise to his work.