April 7, 2022 — Chino Valley Unified Board of Education

The board spent the first hour of this Thursday meeting on a staff report about student mental health, then took up two action items, a long consent calendar, and closing remarks in which President Christina Gagnier asked that board meetings stay focused on public education. This page draws on the adopted minutes, which the board approved on April 21, 2022 1, and on the meeting's recording.

🗓️ The meeting at a glance

• President Gagnier called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.; Andrew Cruz and James Na arrived at 5:10 p.m. 2
• The board met in closed session from 5:00 to 5:40 p.m. on anticipated litigation, a student discipline matter, labor negotiations with A.C.T. and CSEA, a personnel matter, and the superintendent's evaluation. No action requiring disclosure was taken 2.
• The open session reconvened at 6:00 p.m. with all five members present 2, and President Gagnier adjourned it at 7:59 p.m. 3

🧠 Staff report: student mental and emotional well-being

The Curriculum, Instruction, Innovation, and Support (CIIS) department gave what the minutes call a comprehensive report on program development, expansion to the high schools, the response to COVID-19, and services and staffing 4. On the recording, presenters said:

• Origins. After a 2012-2013 needs assessment 5, the program launched in 2013-2014 with one intervention counselor serving three pilot elementary schools 5.
• Three tiers. Some 5 to 10 percent of students may need targeted tier two support beyond school-wide approaches, and fewer than 5 percent need individualized tier three support 6.
• Scale. 103 staff members, plus several contracted outside agencies, work on student mental health 7.
• Care Solace. The district had partnered with Care Solace, a 24/7 online service that helps families find mental health and substance use providers 8, and reported over 3,200 exchanges since February 8.
• Uptake. Only about half of parents agree to tier two services when offered 8.
• BRIEF Academy. An intensive school-day program for kindergarten through third grade, entered through the IEP team 9 9.
• Student voice. The Superintendent's Student Advisory Council helped junior high and high schools develop school-level mental health plans 9 9.

🎓 Student and employee representatives

• Esther Kim, student representative, said Chino Hills HS students had given positive feedback on counseling staff, congratulated seniors, shared ways for students to get involved, and said she had joined legislative committees of the California School Boards Association and the Association of California School Administrators 4. On the recording she invited students interested in a statewide committee on safe school bathrooms to contact her 10 10.
• Brenda Walker, A.C.T. President, thanked employees for their work through difficult times and asked the board to recognize the pandemic's effects on educators' personal lives as negotiations move forward 4. "Our employees working conditions are our children's learning conditions," she said, as captioned 11.
• Danny Hernandez, CSEA President, reported on CSEA's conference delegates, Excel classes at the adult school, prom and graduation printing, and the Corporate Challenge 4.
• Emily Lao, CHAMP, commended assistant principals and the CIIS presentation and encouraged the community to use Care Solace 4.

🎤 Public comment

Six requests to speak on non-agenda items were announced 12. The minutes list five speakers, with these topics 4:

• Anne Whyte and Kara D'Amato: in support of mask mandates and board meeting decorum 4.
• Sharon Duran: the new maps, the new bell schedule, bus scheduling and the need for drivers, and PBIS 4.
• Sonja Shaw (printed "Sonjia" in these minutes; "Sonja" in the April 21 minutes 1): an audit of CARES Act, ELO and ESSER spending; a progress report on learning loss; surplus equipment sales; a study session on events to boost community morale; and better communication about mental health services 4.
• Karla V.: smaller class sizes and no combination classes, to help students recover learning lost during COVID-19 4.

The minutes record topics, not what each speaker said, so this page attaches no recording content to these names 4.

✅ Action items

• Allegiance STEAM Academy—Thrive. The board approved an amended 2020-2025 facilities memorandum of understanding with the charter school. James Na moved and Don Bridge seconded, and the minutes record the student representative's vote as yes 13. The motion carried on the recording 14.
• Emergency repairs at Wickman Elementary. The board adopted Resolution 2021/2022-67, asking the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools to let the district award a repair contract at Wickman ES without bidding and advertising. Na moved and Bridge seconded; the student representative voted yes 13. The motion carried on the recording 15. The record on file does not say what the repairs were.

📋 Consent calendar

President Gagnier pulled a student expulsion case for separate action. The board approved the remaining consent items on a motion by Na, seconded by Bridge, with the student representative voting yes 13, as the recording confirms 15. The expulsion case was then approved on a separate motion by Na, seconded by Bridge 13. Among the consent items:

• March 17 minutes, warrants, fundraising, donations, and legal-services payments to Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo and to Margaret A. Chidester & Associates 13.
• Surplus property declared for sale or disposal 13, and change orders and notices of completion for alterations at Canyon Hills and Townsend junior highs 13 and Ayala High School 16.
• "Classroom Preparation for Viewsonics Group 3" awarded to OCS Construction Services, Inc., and all bids for PPE supplies rejected 16.
• Resolutions 2021/2022-68 and 2021/2022-69 on State School Facility Program eligibility and funding beyond existing bond authority 16.
• Personnel items, and the rejection of claims, which were referred to the district's insurance adjuster 16.

Information items included a revision of Board Bylaw 9322 on agenda and meeting materials 16, which the board approved on April 21 1, plus attendance calendars for 2023-24 through 2025-26, a revised Computer Applications course, a new Beginning Guitar course, and the Williams quarterly complaint report 16.

💬 Board and superintendent communications

• Joe Schaffer said he attended a special graduation ceremony, prom and wedding for Chino Hills HS student Addison Conely 3; the Champion Newspapers reported the graduation ceremony took place March 24 17. He confirmed the district remains dedicated to keeping combo class sizes down, asked for an update on the Preserve School II, and said the district must discuss how to offset the cost of about 500 additional seats 3. "We're a declining enrollment district," he said on the recording 18, estimating the school could cost several million dollars a year to operate 18.
• Don Bridge also attended the Chino Hills HS ceremony and commended staff, and attended the swearing-in of new Chino Valley Fire Chief Dave Williams 3, where, as the board's liaison to the fire district, he presented a certificate of recognition 19.
• Andrew Cruz acknowledged Paraprofessionals Day on April 6, spoke about mask mandates' effects on students, including emotional harm, isolation and speech delays, spoke about protecting choice, and said the Assembly Judiciary Committee had voted to advance Assembly Bill 2223 3. That bill, Wicks's "Reproductive health" measure, was signed by the governor on September 27, 2022 20. On masks he said, as captioned, "we have done so much damage to our children" 19.
• James Na thanked Chino Hills HS administrators for the ceremonies, spoke about the current state of humanity, and said he attended a celebration of life for longtime PTA member Edwin Denzin 3.
• Superintendent Norm Enfield made no comments 3.

President Gagnier's closing remarks

Christina Gagnier said it was refreshing that the meeting focused on public education, and asked everyone to work together on its future and keep board meetings a positive experience 3.

She spoke about media attention around what the minutes call "Title IV" issues 3; on the recording she says Title IX 21, refers to a federal Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigation now resolved by an agreement requiring training for coaches and administrators, and asks for an overview of how that will happen 21. CBS Los Angeles reported on April 6, 2022 that OCR had found the district's response to sexual harassment on a fall 2017 athletics team violated Title IX 22.

She asked for public clarification of the move to by-trustee-area elections 3, explaining on the recording that seats not up in 2022 remain at large 23. In May 2021 the Champion Newspapers had reported the proposal to replace at-large elections with area-based voting beginning in 2022 24.

She urged the district to get ahead of legislation it sees coming 3, pointing to SB 328, which she said she had not supported 23, and the bell schedules the board "reluctantly" changed under it 23. She requested two resolutions: one supporting more literacy funding as the May Revise is finalized, and one affirming a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment 3.

🔭 What came next

On April 21, the board adopted Resolution 2021/2022-73 supporting literacy funding in the state budget 1. Superintendent Enfield gave an update on the second school at the Preserve, and President Gagnier followed up on the previous meeting's requests about trustee areas and online one-stop mental health resources 25.