September 5, 2019 Board of Education Meeting Recap

No official minutes or agenda are on file for this meeting. This recap is built only from the meeting's undiarized video transcript. Per site policy for meetings without minutes to independently confirm who said what, no comment, position, or vote below is attributed to any named person — not public commenters, not board members, not staff — even where a speaker identified themselves by name in the recording.

Quick Start: What Happened

The board met in closed session from 5:06 p.m. on litigation, employee discipline, student admissions, and labor negotiations, taking no action requiring public disclosure, before reconvening publicly at 6 p.m. 12. The evening's biggest story was a parent's request that the board call a special meeting under its bylaws over the future of Ayala High School's American Sign Language program — echoed by several other parents testifying about the program's value. Employee-union negotiators also reported a tentative labor agreement, and public comment ran long on mental health, teacher workload, a charter school's facilities, transportation, technology, and school climate.

Parents Press the Board Over the Ayala ASL Program

The most pointed public comment of the night concerned Ayala High School's American Sign Language program. One parent said a letter sent privately to the board and district administration was deliberately kept from media "because as you all know anything that winds up on the Internet tends to stay on your permanent record" 3, and that other parents and students had stayed away after "someone started a rumor that if we spoke to the board" the program would be scrapped 4. The parent formally asked that a special board meeting be called under Board Bylaw 9320 5.

Several other parents testified about the program's value, including one whose daughter is now pursuing ASL interpreting as a career 6 and another who credited the program with helping a deaf classmate communicate 7.

In board comments, one board member said the matter "is something that we are discussing and we're following up," though "there really isn't anything to provide at this time" 89. A second said matching a departed teacher's exact caliber "that's difficult to do" 10. No formal board action was taken on the special-meeting request at this meeting.

A Tentative Labor Agreement

Early on, a union representative thanked negotiators for connecting through the year's "board buddies" program and said negotiating teams had reached a tentative agreement that "happened really quick," to be brought to members for ratification 1112. A second union representative said talks "went really well really smooth" 13. A board member said they wanted to "move quickly now to get it ratified and get it in place for the students" 14. A hearing on ratifying a related agreement followed about six weeks later, per the archive 15.

Students Pitch District-Wide Mental Health Assemblies

A group of high school students pitched the board on district-wide mental health awareness assemblies through a student-run nonprofit, saying content would be "professionally approved by psychiatrists and psychologists at Kaiser Diamond Bar" 1617. One board member called the timing fitting for National Suicide Prevention Week and said such resources are "desperately needed" 18; a second asked staff to help the group "through the process of potentially getting approved" 19.

A Charter School's Facility Complaints

A Sycamore Academy representative said the charter school, which uses district facilities under a Prop 39 agreement, still lacked internet access months in and wanted to "purchase our Internet access directly from spectrum" 2021. A separate keys problem left staff locking themselves out of the site 22. About a year later, the archive shows the school's board had declined the technology portion of its facilities-use agreement and arranged its own internet and phone service independently 23.

"It Did Not Start That Way": A Warning Against a Familiar Narrative

One speaker linked Jim Crow-era laws — "small waves of suppression known only as the Black Codes" 24 — to a narrative the speaker said now "favors the opportunity to attack the community's most vulnerable," aimed at the LGBTQ community 25.

Teachers in Life Vests: "You Have the Power to Save Us from Drowning"

Two elementary teachers wore life vests to the podium as a visual metaphor, saying "as teachers we are drowning we're drowning in the extra homework this district expects us to do," with no built-in time in the contract day for grading or planning 26. They said a new district-assigned anti-harassment training took roughly three and a half hours outside contract hours 27, and closed with a direct appeal: "you have the power to save us from drowning by giving us time within our contract hours or compensate us for using our own time to get these additional assignments completed or you can watch us drown I will not be donating my own time" 28.

A Bus Route Removed, a 45-Minute Walk

One parent said roughly 80 families at a low-income apartment complex had lost bus service to Rhodes Elementary, forcing children in grades 1 through 6 to walk about 45 minutes each way, including through "104 degrees" heat that day 2930. Families there average less than $36,000 in annual income for a household of five, and the change also disrupted free-lunch access 3132, with the parent asking the board to "go back and revisit the policy" 33. Board members responded sympathetically: one asked why "the students are no longer using the buses" 34, and another suggested the mileage threshold itself should be reconsidered 3536. The same concern resurfaced at a board meeting later that year, per the archive 37.

Screens, Smartboards, and the Case for "Books First"

A community member urged caution on technology in early grades, opening with the argument that "we were told schools should promote it get as many computers as possible teach with it as much as you can" 38. The speaker cited research on the developing frontal cortex and American Pediatric Society guidance against screens before age 2 3940, concluding "maybe we should do books first" 41. One board member agreed: "we have to tread lightly when it comes to technology" 42; another wanted more in-person contact built in for the youngest students 43.

Family and School Climate

One parent described a family experience from the prior school year involving the parent's child and questions about the child's sexuality, saying comments at a previous meeting describing "homosexuality is a lifestyle and not a right" had been distressing 44. The parent said the child received support from school staff 45, and noted not every student in a similar situation can come out to their own parents 46.

The Board Reflects on Civility — and an Earlier Night's Applause

In closing comments, one board member said they had heard from officials, staff, and students after the prior board meeting, warning that "if we do not comport ourselves in a civil manner here and with one another, students notice that" 4748. A second board member addressed that meeting directly, saying students had asked why "a couple of our board members were applauding when there were attacks made on fellow students who are LGTBQ," and that governance standards require representing "every student not a partial segment"; the member said they would "not remain silent" and would keep representing "every student" 495051.

Other Business

The board approved the 2018-2019 unaudited actuals financial report and authorized its certification, and approved the consent calendar, both without extended discussion 52. Brief updates followed from a booster club on athletics fundraising 53, a City of Chino Hills representative on a mobile recreation program 54, and a congressional district office promoting a service-academy night 55. Student leaders opened the meeting with brief reports on club rush, rallies, and homecoming planning.

This is an independent, community-maintained summary of public records and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Chino Valley Unified School District. No official minutes or agenda were on file for this meeting at the time this summary was generated, so no statement, position, or vote above is attributed to a named individual.