March 3, 2022: COVID-19 Concerns Fill Public Comment Days Before the State's School Mask Rule Ends

The board met outdoors in the quad at Buena Vista Continuation High School, where the agenda made face coverings optional for attendees 12. President Christina Gagnier reconvened the open session at 6:00 p.m. with Don Bridge, Andrew Cruz, James Na, Joe Schaffer and Gagnier present 2. Three days earlier, Gov. Gavin Newsom had announced that California's indoor mask requirement for schools would end at 11:59 p.m. on March 11 3. Sixteen of the 17 public commenters the minutes list spoke on COVID-19 related concerns 4. On its consent calendar the board rejected 25 claims, most over the mask requirement, and adopted new K-12 science textbooks 5567. Gagnier adjourned the meeting at 7:37 p.m. 8

This page's record is the district's adopted minutes, which name the people below. Speakers are named only where the minutes name them, and remarks from the recording are attributed to a named person only within the subject the minutes give that person.

Out of closed session

The board met in closed session on assistant principal appointments, labor negotiations with A.C.T. and CSEA, and the superintendent's performance evaluation 2. It reported voting to appoint Amber Orttel-Parks as assistant principal of Cal Aero K-8, effective April 4, 2022, and Jonathan Cervantes as assistant principal of Chino High School, effective March 18, 2022 499.

Staff report: state academic standards

Dr. Grace Park, Associate Superintendent, CIIS, presented the LCAP annual update on implementing the state academic standards 4. The report said the district met the state priority on all five criteria of the state's reflection tool, each rated from 1 (exploration and research) to 5 (full implementation and sustainability) 10. For instructional materials, science stood at level 2, beginning development, and the report said the new science curriculum would bring it to full implementation in the next school year 10.

Employee representatives

A.C.T. President Brenda Walker thanked staff for their work through two years of the pandemic and said educators are policy implementers, not policy makers, and are exhausted 4. On the recording she added that educators had seen appreciation turn to blame and criticism 11. CSEA President Danny Hernandez asked for empathy for classified staff who had recently been disciplined or reprimanded, and spoke about Article 1 of the collective bargaining agreement 4. On the recording he said the district needed to do a much better job informing school sites and departments about that article 12. CHAMP President Barbara Bearden spoke about Student Government Day and Read Across America and promoted the Julie Gobin Memorial Hit the Greens for Scholarships Golf Tournament 4.

Public comment

The recording notes 25 requests to speak on non-agenda items 13. The minutes list these speakers regarding COVID-19 related concerns, with names as printed: Kendall Hall, Jacob Costa, Malia Kesler, Parent Advocacy of Chino Valley, Arianna Minter, Chris Shaw, Sonja Shaw, Krystal Barret, Misty Startup, Megahnn Long, Diane Hart, Kylene Valles, Cindy Foisy, Casandra Sanchez, Alicia Rodriguez, and Kelly Brock-Maxwell. They list Juli Santorsola regarding the Woodcrest Junior High band 4. The minutes record subjects, not what was said, and names here come only from the minutes, so the remarks heard on the recording are not summarized. Kendall Hall, a student, also led the Pledge of Allegiance 4.

The Champion reported that parents bundled against 55-degree weather raised concern about children still being made to sit outside because they were not wearing masks, and that a petition with 428 signatures asking Schaffer to resign was submitted 14. It quoted Kendall Hall asking "Why wait two weeks" 14. It also reported that Sonja Shaw (spelled Sonjia in the article) announced she would run for the school board in the November 2022 election 14.

Action items

• CSBA Delegate Assembly ballot. On a motion by Bridge, seconded by Schaffer, the board cast its votes for Heather Allgood, Christina Cameron-Otero, Barbara Dew, Cindy Gardner, James O'Neill and Scott Wyatt for the CSBA Delegate Assembly, subregion 16-B, for terms from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2024. The minutes record that Cruz and Na voted no 4. The ballot listed seven candidates for up to six votes; the seventh was Clayton Moore of Victor ESD 15.
• Classified layoff notice. On a motion by Schaffer, seconded by Bridge, the board adopted a resolution giving notice of layoff of certain classified staff under Education Code 45117 and 45298 4. The staff memo said Borba Elementary had decided to discontinue one full-time, Title I funded Instructional Aide-Computer Assisted position for the 2022/2023 school year, saving $60,589 a year in the restricted budget 15.
• Classified management salary schedule. On a motion by Bridge, seconded by Schaffer, the board approved revisions to the Classified Management Salary Schedule 4. The revisions added a Behavior Intervention Associate classification at 190 days and $53,668 to $60,993 a year 1617.
• Consent calendar. Gagnier pulled the agreements for contractor and consultant services for separate action, and the rest of the consent calendar was approved on a motion by Na, seconded by Bridge 4. It included ten K-12 science programs from Discovery Education, Savvas Learning Company and Twig Education 518. The memo, prepared by Park, Julian A. Rodriguez and Luke Hackney, said teachers and students piloted the materials, and listed a fiscal impact of $8,736,378.75 1918.
• Other consent business. The calendar also covered $36,954.60 in January legal invoices from Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo and Margaret A. Chidester & Associates 520, and change orders adding a net $75,085.78 to Premier Paving's district-wide asphalt repairs 521.
• Claims. The board rejected the claims before it and referred them to the district's insurance adjuster 5. The packet listed 25 claims filed in February 2022 by parents, most alleging harm to students from the mask requirement or from being made to sit outdoors; one concerned exclusion from a class trip over vaccination status 6722.
• Pulled agreements. The agreements for contractor and consultant services were then approved on a motion by Na, seconded by Bridge, and the minutes record that Gagnier recused herself 5. On the recording she said she pulled the item because she chairs the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce and it concerned the chamber's finances 23. The agreements included a $37,500 work-based learning agreement with the chamber, funded by the K12 Strong Workforce Program 24.
• Information. The board received for information a new Board Policy and Administrative Regulation 0420.5 on Multi-Lingual Academy Pathways (MAP) 5.

Board communications

Schaffer thanked students, district staff and partnering agencies for Student Government Day, and congratulated the Chino Hills High girls' water polo team on its CIF Southern Section championship 8. Bridge also congratulated the Student Government Day participants and the water polo team, and said he attended the City of Chino State of the City luncheon 8.

Na asked Superintendent Norm Enfield to contact Preserve parent Kelly Smith about a concern over the mask mandate and the treatment her daughter received 8. He thanked Mrs. Bell, a music teacher, said he wants music programs to remain available, and spoke about Martin Luther King Jr. 8.

Cruz read a letter of support from a 93-year-old man who had heard about student Kendall Hall's stance against mandates 825. He spoke about the book The Great Reset and about bills that he said could weaken parental involvement and mandate vaccines 8. On the recording the bills he listed included AB 1993, which he said would require all employees, including independent contractors, to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to work in California 26. Its author, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, halted the bill on March 29, The San Joaquin Valley Sun reported 27.

Cruz also cited CNBC reporting that Pfizer's vaccine was only 12% effective against omicron in children 5 to 11 8. A New York State study reported by Spectrum News that week, a preprint not yet peer reviewed, found that the vaccine's effectiveness against infection in that age group fell from 68% to 12% 28. He spoke about side effects reported in vaccine trials, inconsistent mask guidelines and accounts from people he had met who reported adverse effects after vaccination 8. He spoke about the marginalization of women and said Sonja Shaw is a true feminist, and announced two March 5 events 88.

Cruz requested several items for the next agenda 8. On the recording these included letting students with a GPA under 2.0 play sports 29. A waiver of the GPA requirement for extracurricular activities was on the March 17 agenda, where it was tabled 30.

Superintendent Enfield made no comment. Gagnier announced the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce's Salute to Public Safety on March 23 8.

This is an independent, community-maintained summary of public records and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Chino Valley Unified School District. Its record is the district's adopted minutes of March 3, 2022; remarks from the meeting recording are attributed to a named person only within the subject the minutes give that person.