The parents of an 11-year-old girl are outraged after a school employee forced her to duct tape her own mouth for reportedly speaking too much.
The child involved, Noemi Hurtado, is a sixth grade student at Blair Middle School in Pasadena.
On March 24, Noemi was eating lunch on campus with friends when she was allegedly punished for being too loud by a female security guard.
The woman took Noemi to the principal’s office and told the girl to put duct tape over her own mouth.
“I got a phone call that no parent wants to receive,” said Ricardo Hurtado, the girl’s father. “She was playing with her friends and being a little too loud. She was asked to stop once and she didn’t, I guess, and continued to play.”
Ricardo said once Noemi was duct taped, the security guard allegedly walked her through the campus and even to a nearby high school just to “humiliate” her.
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Ricardo and Noemi Hurtado along with community activist Najee Ali, hold a press conference outside Blair Middle School in Pasadena on March 28, 2025. (KTLA) -
Blair Middle School in Pasadena, California. (KTLA) -
Ricardo and Noemi Hurtado along with community activist Najee Ali, hold a press conference outside Blair Middle School in Pasadena on March 28, 2025. (KTLA) -
The parents of Noemi Hurtado, 11, are outraged after they say she was forced by a school security guard at her Pasadena middle school to duct tape her own mouth. (KTLA) -
Blair Middle School in Pasadena, California. (KTLA)
The guard escorted Noemi to her next class where Ricardo said she “had the nerve to state to the teacher that she shouldn’t take off the tape because she has a hard time being quiet.”
Ricardo says the school’s head of security, Julio, witnessed the incident and intervened. He removed Noemi from the class, telling her she wasn’t in trouble before they headed back to the principal’s office.
The principal confirmed to KTLA that the incident occurred and said the security guard involved had been fired.
“I was in shock,” Ricardo said. “I was just trying to make sure that [my daughter] was okay and wasn’t fully damaged herself. An 11-year-old girl shouldn’t be going through this.”
The Pasadena Unified School District released a statement on the incident saying:
“The safety and well-being of our students are our top priority. We are aware of allegations involving a former substitute security officer. As a result, this individual is no longer employed by the district. We take concerns like this very seriously and are cooperating fully with the Pasadena Police Department. We are committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for our students.”
Ricardo said he wants justice and for the security guard to face legal consequences. They have since filed a police report over the incident.
