Chino Valley Unified Board of Education, October 16, 2025

President Sonja Shaw called the meeting to order at 4:45 p.m. with John Cervantes, Andrew Cruz, Shaun Smith and Shaw present and James Na absent 1. The night was dominated by a labor-board ruling, an appeal in the district's long-running prayer case, and a public-comment period that ended with the room cleared.

⚖️ Closed session: an appeal in the prayer case

After closed session the board reported two actions, with Na absent: it appointed Derrick Schuler as Director, Access & Equity, effective date to be determined 1, and authorized Advocates for Faith & Freedom to file a notice of appeal to the Ninth Circuit 1. The closed-session agenda listed that firm by name beside an anticipated-litigation item 2.

The appeal follows a loss earlier that month. The Daily Bulletin reported that on October 10, U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal rejected the board's July 31 motion to lift the 2016 order barring prayer at its meetings, a motion built on the Supreme Court's 2022 Kennedy v. Bremerton decision; ahead of the meeting, Shaw told the paper the board would take the issue up on October 16 3. The Champion Newspapers reported that the appeal decision was announced at this meeting after closed session, and that Advocates for Faith & Freedom represents the district pro bono while any fees owed to the opposing side remain the district's responsibility 4. In public comment a speaker said the board remains under a court order barring prayer and Bible verses at its meetings 5, and that the original suit cost the district around $300,000, as captioned 6.

🏳️ The union brings its PERB ruling to the microphone

Steven Frazer, A.C.T. President, opened by crediting educators for steady gains in test results 7, then turned to the June 19, 2025 Public Employment Relations Board decision. In his view it found the district had violated state labor law by restricting classroom flag displays under Board Policy 6115 and by adopting parental-notification policies without bargaining 7. He acknowledged the district's appeal and called for renewed partnership with A.C.T. 7. On the recording he said "an appeal does not erase the decision or suspend the decision" 8. A point of information from the dais followed, asking whether a policy had been passed in July 8; the answer confirmed that the permitted flags remain the California, United States and military flags 8. The point was repeated from the dais at the end of public comment 9.

The dispute outlasted the meeting. PERB's case page shows that the first ruling in the case was an administrative law judge's proposed decision, which the district contested by filing exceptions. On April 20, 2026 the full board found the proposed decision had not erred in holding that the flag policy interfered with employees' right to display union insignia 10.

Danny Hernandez, CSEA President, marked National School Lunch Week 7. He noted that Cruz had ridden a transportation morning route and that Deputy Superintendent Grace Park had shadowed Media Center Operations Technician Sophia Placencia 7. He also shared news of the death of Michael Torres, a Don Lugo HS custodian 7, who on the recording he said had lost a battle with cancer 11.

🎤 Public comment, and a cleared room

The minutes list 23 entries under public comment and record that President Shaw cleared the room due to public disruption from 7:16 p.m. to 7:35 p.m. 12. Names come only from that list, which does not say what anyone said. The themes below are therefore unnamed and grouped by subject, not speaking order:

• A clergy letter, read in relay. Speakers presented one letter signed, as captioned, by 30 Christian leaders and another by 32 interfaith leaders 13. The letter faulted the district's book-removal rules 13, athletics policy 14 and flag ban 14. It closed by standing with LGBTQ+ students "not in spite of our faith, but because of it" 15.
• Support for the board. One speaker thanked the board for answering what that speaker called frivolous union lawsuits over classroom flags 16, and another said the union's suits were wasting money 17.
• Criticism of the board. One speaker said the board still does not translate its meetings for Latino families 18. Another asked what the board had done for literacy and special education 19 19. Another read from the ruling, as captioned, that the June 15, 2023 amendments to AR 6115 were rescinded 20, and asked the president to take down a video calling that account misinformation 20 20.
• Student safety. A second-grader described being pinched, punched and kicked by a classmate 21, and a parent asked the board to take bullying seriously at every age 5. Another parent said IEP non-compliance had left her freshman son ineligible for football 22 22.

The trouble began when a speaker insulted two teachers 17 and the exchange turned into shouting over whose time it was 17; from the dais the room was ordered cleared 17, and the meeting resumed at 7:35 p.m. 17.

An information item on the same agenda bore directly on the evening. The board received for information a request from Amanda Swager to place an item on the agenda 23. Her proposal, printed in the packet, would let the president redirect or prohibit comment on topics outside the board's jurisdiction 24, and bar comment about non-elected members of the public who are not district employees and not present 24.

✅ Decisions

• America's 250th. The board adopted Resolution 2025/2026-17, Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary, moved by Cervantes and seconded by Cruz, with Na absent; the student representative voted yes 25. Shaw submitted it under Board Bylaw 9322 26. It declares June 29 to July 5, 2026 America's Semiquincentennial Week and commits schools to assemblies and lessons on the founding documents in 2026/2027 27.
• Smith's missed-meeting pay. Smith pulled the resolution compensating him for missing the September 18 meeting 25. It was adopted on a motion by Cervantes, seconded by Cruz, and the minutes record Smith voting no 25. The resolution gives illness or jury duty as the reason 28.
• Consent, as amended, on a motion by Cervantes, seconded by Cruz, with Na absent 25. One CUPCCAA project was deleted from the change-orders item 12. The calendar included:
• A revision of Board Bylaw 9011, Disclosure of Confidential Information 25. The revision widens "confidential" to cover closed-session matters and communications from the district's attorney 29.
• Legal bills from three firms 25, totaling $82,414.94 in the packet 30.
• Seven expulsion cases and one readmission 25.
• Extra unforeseen HVAC repair work at the new District Office 23, after the contractor found conditions beyond the original scope 31.
• The Oak Ridge ES generator transfer-switch bid to Polar Electrical Company 23, charter-bus contracts with nine carriers 23, and a revision of BP 3540, Transportation 23.

🏆 PBIS and students

The board received a staff report on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports 1. Staff said, as captioned, that all 34 schools now hold platinum-level state recognition, up from a single platinum school four years earlier 32. They said that ties the district for first among California unified districts 32. A year earlier the district had reported 30 platinum and three gold schools, as captioned, 33. Shaw presented certificates to Boys & Girls State participants 1, and student representative Phoenix Kim reported on homecoming, rallies and the Battle of the Bone 1.

💬 Board communications

• Shaun Smith asked for an online-safety initiative teaching parents to secure children's phones 23; the reply from the dais was that videos would be put together 34.
• Andrew Cruz said the district may be violating parents' rights by encouraging gender transitions without parental knowledge 23, and spoke of a "silent majority" opposed 23.
• John Cervantes called for decorum, warning that disruptions may lead to removal under Penal Code 403 23. He also suggested the evening's many scripture quotations might signal interest in exploring Bible education 23.
• Superintendent Norm Enfield welcomed Smith to the board 35.

President Shaw said a proposal codifying existing practice on AB 495 would come in November 35, calling the law the "predators' kidnapping dream bill" 35. She turned to Gender and Sexualities Alliance clubs on district campuses 35. She said a club adviser at a local high school had invited a man with a public online presence, whom the minutes identify by a social-media handle, to address Ayala HS students, and displayed screenshots she said supported this 35. Her other claims, as the minutes record them:

• the clubs receive public funding, including through the PRISM training program 35;
• she would bring a policy to block promotion of The Trevor Project, whose information Sacramento approved for student ID cards 35;
• she would explore legal avenues to remove the PTA from campuses 35;
• public records showed spending to send staff to Pridefest events 35, about $20,000 on one page as captioned 36 36;
• speakers had misused religious language 35.

🕯️ Adjournment

Shaw adjourned the meeting at 8:16 p.m. in memory of Michael Torres 37.

Compiled from the adopted minutes, the meeting recording and the agenda packet for the October 16, 2025 regular meeting of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education. The minutes name public-comment speakers but not what each said, so comments are described without names. This site is not affiliated with Chino Valley Unified School District.