Chino Valley Unified Board of Education: February 20, 2025

Out of closed session, the board directed its lawyers to challenge the ruling in the Freedom From Religion Foundation lawsuit over prayer at board meetings 1. In open session it adopted a resolution opposing the South Coast air district's proposed rules on gas furnaces and water heaters 2. Eleven members of the public spoke 2, several of them asking for the return of Chino High's athletic director 3.

The record for this page is the adopted minutes of this meeting. President Sonja Shaw presided, with John Cervantes, Andrew Cruz and Jon Monroe present 1. James Na was absent 1. The board met in closed session from 4:40 to 5:48 p.m. 1, and President Shaw adjourned the meeting at 7:21 p.m. 4

⚖️ Closed session: reopening the prayer case

The minutes report three closed-session actions. In each, Cervantes, Cruz, Monroe and Shaw voted yes and Na was absent 1.

• Prayer lawsuit. The board directed Advocates for Faith and Freedom to challenge the ruling in the Freedom From Religion Foundation lawsuit 1. It also authorized further litigation, including petitions and motions, so that "the constitutional questions presented in this case are properly addressed before the court" 1. The agenda listed the matter as anticipated litigation with that firm 5. In December 2024 the board's agenda included an engagement agreement with the firm, and its cover memo said the district was interested in "directing counsel to challenge the Ninth Circuit decision" in the case 6.
• Non-reelection. The board authorized notices of non-reelection to nine certificated employees, identified only by number 1.
• Resignation. It accepted a resignation agreement and release from one permanent certificated employee, effective June 30, 2025 1.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation sued the board in 2014 over its practice of opening meetings with prayer 7. A 2016 ruling ordered the practice stopped, and the Ninth Circuit upheld it in 2018 7. The board's motion, filed by Advocates for Faith & Freedom on July 31, 2025, sought relief from the 2016 injunction 8. A federal judge turned it down on October 10, 2025 7.

🔥 Opposing the air district's appliance rules

Resolution 2024/2025-52 came to the board from President Shaw, who asked on February 5 that it be placed on the agenda 9 and submitted it under Board Bylaw 9322 9. Its recitals say the proposed amendments to SCAQMD Rules 1111 and 1121 would require costly upgrades to heating and water systems in school buildings 9, and that the district was never consulted 9. They also say an all-electric switch would leave schools more exposed to grid failures, citing "the multiple power shutoffs experienced in our area" by Southern California Edison 9. The resolution directs staff to send the board's opposition to the air district's governing board, regional stakeholders and the district's representatives in government 10.

The board adopted it on a motion by Jon Monroe, seconded by Andrew Cruz 2. One public speaker came specifically to support it 11 and voiced concern about what the rules would cost residents and districts 11. On June 6, 2025, the South Coast AQMD governing board declined to approve the amendments, leaving the earlier rule language in effect 12.

🗣️ Public comment

The minutes list eleven speakers: Glory Ciccarelli, Scott Rossen, Amanda Swager, Maria Valdez, Tiffany Chavez, Steve Halstead, Anonymous, Lisa G., Angel Resendez, Kristal Barret and Evan Gray 2. The minutes do not say who said what, so the comments below carry no names and are grouped by theme, not in speaking order.

Chino High's athletic director. Speakers asked the board to reinstate him 3 13. One speaker read a letter urging the board to bring him back 11. Another tied the appeal to the death of a freshman football player the previous summer 13 13, saying the freshman players had then lost their coaches 13. One argued that the board should "intervene and overrule District administration" 14.

The parental notification ruling. Two speakers took opposite views. One congratulated the board "on your victory in court this week" 15. The other argued that the district's 2023 policy was struck down "in both the preliminary and subsequent permanent injunction" 16, and that the surviving records provision added little because "parents have always had the right to view their students records" 17. Reporting that day said the state had not appealed the ruling that upheld the district's authority to notify parents of records-change requests 18.

Race and immigration fears. One speaker spoke of students being called the n-word and said the Black educator population had fallen to "barely 3.75%" (as captioned) 14. The same speaker said children threatened with immigration enforcement were going to counselors in distress 14.

Dress code. A speaker called the district dress code "sexist" and discriminatory toward female students 17 and asked the board to "review the dress code again" 19.

👩‍🏫 Personnel, bargaining and programs

• Teachers' bargaining. President Shaw opened and closed the public hearing on the Associated Chino Teachers' initial proposal at 7:08 p.m.; there were no speakers 20. The proposal covers class size overages 21, PLCs, special education and a new progressive-discipline article 21.
• Temporary teachers. The board adopted Resolution 2024/2025-53 releasing temporary certificated employees effective June 30, 2025 20, as amended to correct the year in a recital 2.
• Classified layoff. It adopted Resolution 2024/2025-51 20, which eliminates one Account Clerk III position in Facilities and Planning 22 for "$90,135.00 annual savings" 22. Both personnel resolutions were moved by Monroe and seconded by Cruz 2 20.
• Title I. The board adopted schoolwide Title I programs for Eagle Canyon ES, Hidden Trails ES and Townsend JHS for 2025/2026, with the same mover and seconder 2. A schoolwide program requires at least 40 percent of a school's students to come from low-income families 23.
• CSBA. On a motion by Cruz, seconded by Monroe 2, the board cast its Delegate Assembly votes for Gwen Rogers, Eric Swanson and Kathy Thompson 2, three of the six subregion 16-B candidates 24.

LCAP. Luke Hackney, Assistant Superintendent, presented the LCAP mid-year report, Part II 1, covering Goals 3 and 4 25. The presentation said Chino Valley graduates beat county and state averages on every measure in its college-and-career table 25 25. As captioned, it reported Buena Vista's graduation rate last year at over 95% 26 26.

✅ Consent calendar

The consent calendar was approved as amended, moved by Monroe and seconded by Cervantes 20. A DigiCert certificate renewal was deleted before the vote 2 27. The calendar included:

• an award of RFP 24-25-03, districtwide data networking for E-Rate, to Frontier Communications 28, one of two bidders 29, at an estimated $2.5 million 29;
• a warrant register of $15,170,796.41 30 20 and a purchase order register of $1,856,755.86 27 20;
• December legal invoices of $101,034.36, bringing the year-to-date total to $501,762.16 31 20;
• thirteen change orders and notices of completion on the Glenmeade, Litel and Oak Ridge administration relocations 32 28, and a $70,000 credit on the districtwide roofing project 33 28;
• one student admission and five expulsions 20 20;
• seven piggyback-contract resolutions 32 and a surplus-property declaration 32;
• personnel items, as amended 28, rejected claims 28 and each school's safety plan 28.

For information, the board received the county's Williams report 28 and revisions to AR 5126 and AR 6172.1 28. These give weighted credit for district-designated dual enrollment courses 34, weighted like honors and AP 35, starting with the class of 2028 35.

🎓 Recognition and reports

John Miller, Chino HS principal, led the Pledge 1. President Shaw recognized Ayala HS business entrepreneurship students who placed first in Sports and Entertainment Management and second in International Business at the State Leadership Conference 1. Student representative Gabriella Segoviano reported on school activities and the coming Student Government Day 1 2.

Steven Frazer, A.C.T. President, urged the board to keep PLCs teacher-led 2 and to reaffirm its commitment to protecting students amid executive orders on immigration 2. He listed fair pay, working conditions and special education as bargaining priorities 36 and invited the community to a March 1 panel featuring Black educators 36. Emily Lao, CHAMP President, recognized staff and previewed the art, band and choir showcases 2.

🗓️ Board communications

• John Cervantes spoke about touring Chino HS's BST program, said it was "a blessing to see Mr. Hinkle being supported," and looked ahead to career day at Woodcrest JHS 28.
• Jon Monroe attended senior nights at various high schools and future freshman night at Don Lugo HS, and announced the Festival of Arts at Magnolia JHS 28.
• Andrew Cruz spoke about Stanford, Harvard and Dartmouth research published on EdSource tracking learning loss and gains 4. That article reported Chino Valley's 2024 scores at 43% of a grade above 2019 in math and 34% in reading 37. As captioned, his remarks said "we were number one in California" 38.
• Superintendent Norm Enfield made no comments 4.
• Sonja Shaw announced the March 8 Step It Up event at Magnolia JHS 4, spoke about Congresswoman Young Kim's visit to Chino HS's BST program, and spoke about "the District's recent court victory regarding the notification policy dated March 2024" 4.