Chino Valley Unified Board of Education — November 15, 2018

The November 15, 2018 meeting closed out an eventful evening: two closed-session personnel appointments, the final regular meeting for two departing board members — one of whom had completed twelve years of service — and the evening's central controversy, a proposed parental-notification policy that ultimately failed to advance after extensive public testimony. No official minutes are on file for this meeting, so this recap describes speakers and board members generically rather than by name.

🗳️ Closed-session actions

Coming out of closed session, the board announced two personnel actions: the appointment of a new principal at Cal Aero K-8 and a new Director of Human Resources, both effective November 16, 2018 1.

👋 A farewell for two departing board members

The meeting doubled as the final regular session for two board members leaving the board; one had completed twelve years of service 3. District administration opened the meeting with remarks recognizing both members' attentiveness to district business and consistent focus on students' interests 2. Representatives of both employee associations also addressed the board, with one highlighting district classified staff as going "above and beyond every single day" 4. Several community members used the public-comment period on non-agenda items to offer similar tributes. Two newly elected board members were also noted as having won the recent election but not yet seated, expected to join at the next meeting 5.

A report to the board described a student advisory council meeting earlier in the month that discussed improving communication around virtual meetings and planning for a mental-health initiative, including interest in creating "safe space" areas at school sites 6.

A community liaison used the public-comment period to announce a range of upcoming community events, including a public active-shooter training exercise scheduled at a nearby community center over the Thanksgiving break 7.

⚖️ Board Policy 5020.1: parental notification fails to advance

The evening's most contested item was a proposed new Board Policy 5020.1, "Students Model Parental Rights in Child's Education Policy," which would have required staff to notify parents if a student asked to be addressed by a different name or pronoun, or disclosed a matter of sexual orientation or gender identity, with an exception for specific safety concerns 8. Six members of the public addressed the board.

Opposition. One speaker argued the policy amounted to an invasion of privacy that could lead to students being involuntarily "outed," warning it could put LGBTQ+ students at risk of family conflict or discrimination 9. Another speaker said the district's own attorneys had already concluded, at the prior board meeting, that the proposal violated state law, argued that adopting it anyway would invite costly litigation, and said a sitting board member had reportedly encouraged accepting the proposal despite that finding 10. A third speaker argued more broadly that the state's policy of inclusion reflects a commitment to nondiscrimination, and that parents who disagree have the option of private schooling rather than changing district policy 11. A fourth speaker likewise argued the district's own counsel had called the policy unlawful and urged the board to vote no 12.

Support. One speaker framed the debate around parental rights and government overreach into family life, and closed with a quote on state authority over children that the speaker attributed to Adolf Hitler 1314. Another speaker voiced support for the policy while broadening the discussion to the district's curriculum priorities generally, arguing that practical subjects like civics and home economics had been crowded out 15.

Board discussion. One trustee said the district's concern stemmed specifically from the state's California Healthy Youth Act, framing the district's intent as protecting students 16. Another trustee delivered an extensive, point-by-point rebuttal disputing claims made about the district's curriculum and notification procedures at the prior meeting, including a correction that district policy — last revised in 2009 — already requires parents to be notified of their right to opt a child out of instruction 17, and read from a letter the district had received from the ACLU stating that parts of the proposed policy would be unlawful and would be "extremely destructive to vulnerable students['] sense of safety and well-being at school," while other parts merely duplicated existing law 18. The discussion closed with a call to work out "a workable solution for all sides" rather than adopt the policy as presented 19.

The motion to adopt Board Policy 5020.1 failed 20.

For context: a substantively similar parental-notification policy, also numbered Board Policy 5020.1, returned to the CVUSD board in 2023. That version was adopted, drew statewide attention and legal challenges, and was voluntarily replaced by the board in 2024 21.

📋 Other business

The board appointed a new member to the Measure G Bond Citizens Oversight Committee in the business-organization category 22. It also opened and closed, without any speakers, a public hearing on the teachers' association's initial bargaining proposal for a successor collective-bargaining agreement effective July 1, 2019 23. The board then moved to and approved its consent calendar 24.

🙏 Closing remarks

In closing comments, one departing trustee offered to remain available to the incoming board members and complimented all of the recent candidates for their campaign efforts 25, reflecting on twelve years of board service marked, they said, by an effort to serve "with integrity and with thoughtful leadership" 26. Another trustee shared a personal story about encountering a young person, once a district student, who had become homeless 27. The other departing member also reflected on a long career in education prior to board service, and expressed confidence in district staff's responsiveness to the community 2829.