All Mauricio Velasco, 7, wants to do is go to school and be with his friends at Folsom's Theodore Judah Elementary School.

However, that might not happen.

“It's sad. It's hard on me, but, it's harder on him,” said his mother, Nicole Zamora.

Zamora, 34, is a single parent, raising not only Mauricio but a one-year-old sister, Kacellah. An older sister, Breonna, 13, lives with her father. She works full time at WalMart and is a full-time student at Folsom Lake College, majoring in Administration of Justice.

“She's a hard worker and wants what's best for her kids,” said Beverly Keen. She operates the daycare right across the street from Theodore Judah and, for the last two years, has watched over Mauricio and his little sister. “I have, at any time, six to eight kids in daycare. They keep me busy.”

For Zamora, having Keen's daycare was perfect for her. On her way to work, she would drop off Mauricio and his sister at Keen's. When school ended, Mauricio would go back to Keen's and stay there until his mother returned.

“Then, on my way to night classes, I pick up the kids and take them to a friend's house. They stay there until my classes are over,” Zamora said.

Zamora said that Mauricio has loved going to Theodore Judah. “It's perfect for him and there are a lot of good teachers there who work with him.”

Zamora enrolled him in Theodore Judah as a kindergarten student. She describes her son as “a typical 7 year old,” admitting that Mauricio can be energetic. “Sometimes, (Mauricio) will make 'farting' sounds as he sits. He doesn't like standing in line now and then. And, he'll do things,” she said, “like scooting his desk around. He's a regular kid.”

In Mauricio's first two years at Theodore Judah, his mother said that were times she had to talk to teachers about his behavior.

“There was one time when Mauricio hugged one of his friends too hard. Another time he and some of his friends were roughhousing.” In every incident, Zamora and the teachers talked and worked on ways to resolve issues, she said.

“That's what I liked about Theodore Judah. Most of the teachers really care about the students.” Zamora said, “and they would reach out to parents like me, so we could handle things together.”

According to Zamora, Mauricio's grades are “excellent,” her son being an A-student.

“He's smart,” she said, “and (the teachers) recognize it.”

Thanks to the efforts of some at Theodore Judah, Zamora said that her son was able to get a scholarship to play football. “Mauricio loved playing football. It made him feel good about himself,” his mother said.

The rapport Zamora developed with her son's teachers made her feel good about the school, she said. “I knew that people there were looking out for my son and helping him out.”

Due to her financial situation, Zamora signed onto a waiting list for affordable housing in Cameron Park. After waiting a long time on the list, Zamora and her family were allowed to move in.

“I had to do this. Financially, I had to.” However, she wanted Mauricio to remain at Theodore Judah. “So, I did inform people at the school that I was moving. I was told that it wouldn't be a problem if I kept Mauricio at Theodore Judah.”

Then, she said, things were different.

“A new principal, Joan Jarman, came in. And,” Zamora claimed, “the atmosphere at the school changed ... and, it wasn't for the better.”

Zamora said that Mauricio was having problems with his second-grade teacher. A number of times, she had to meet with Jarman to discuss her son's alleged disruptive behavior. Mauricio's football scholarship was pulled. Zamora said she felt “very frustrated.”

On Aug. 13, 2009, she went to the school, requesting that Mauricio be put in another class. However, the response she got from Jarman jolted her.

“I was told I had to remove my son from the school by Aug. 18. They said he had severe emotional problems and he wasn't eligible to attend Theodore Judah.”

That was then, Zamora said, she decided to fight for her son.

In part two, Zamora talks about her struggle to get her son back into Theodore Judah, as well as working with others, in an effort to deal with Mauricio's behavioral issues. Zamora takes her fight to the school board.

The Folsom school board responds as well, presenting their side of the story.