Chino Valley Unified Board of Education: January 15, 2026

A short open session that ran from 6:00 1 to 7:07 p.m. The board adopted one proclamation and passed the consent calendar 2, and it received a new board policy on sex-separated facilities and athletics for information only 3. It also heard the annual audit report and eight public speakers 2.

The record for this page is the adopted minutes of this meeting. President Sonja Shaw presided with John Cervantes, Andrew Cruz, James Na and Shaun Smith present. The board met in closed session from 4:00 to 5:36 p.m. 1, and President Shaw adjourned the meeting at 7:07 p.m. 4

🚺 A sex-separated facilities policy, for information only

New Board Policy 6145.1, "Student Access to Sex-Separated Facilities, Programs, and Athletics," was submitted by President Shaw under Board Bylaw 9322 rather than recommended by staff 5. The cover memo says the district "recognizes biological sex as immutable" 5. The draft itself says state and federal law "are currently in direct conflict" 5. Under it, the district would follow California law as the baseline until preempted, defer to federal law where the Supremacy Clause requires, and provide privacy accommodations to any student who asks for them 6. The minutes record only that the board received it for information 3.

The memo's opening sentence repeats, nearly word for word, the background of the Title IX Month resolution President Shaw brought in June 2025 7. A June 2024 resolution opposing the federal Title IX overhaul also came to the board from her 8.

In board communications, Andrew Cruz reaffirmed the district's commitment to BP 6145.1 3. Sonja Shaw reaffirmed the board's commitment to the rights and safety of female students and voiced concern about recent Title IX congressional hearings and Supreme Court arguments involving the ACLU 4. The U.S. Supreme Court was set to hear argument on January 13, two days before the meeting, in two cases on whether states may restrict girls' school sports teams by sex 9.

🧑‍🏫 Closed session and four assistant principals

The agenda listed three anticipated-litigation matters with Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo and one with Advocates for Faith & Freedom 10. It also listed two PERB cases brought by the Associated Chino Teachers and a Liberty Justice Center case 10. The board reported appointing Erin Starks (Cortez ES), Cynthia Okamoto (Glenmeade ES), Daniel Montanes (Oak Ridge ES) and Mara Ryan-Lopez (Don Lugo HS) as assistant principals, with effective dates to be determined 1. John Cervantes led the Pledge 1.

📊 LCAP at mid-year

Luke Hackney, Assistant Superintendent, presented the LCAP mid-year update on Goals 1 and 2 1. The presentation reported five of six Goal 1 outcomes met 11, with the technology refresh due in April 2026 11. It counted more than 6,000 student devices 12 and over 200 teacher devices refreshed this year 12. On Goal 2 it noted local graduation requirements of four years of English, three of math and a 2.0 GPA 12, and chronic absenteeism down 1.7% 12.

🧾 A clean audit

Scott Bradach of Eide Bailly LLP presented the 2024/2025 audit 3. The agenda notes that the board must review it at a public meeting by January 31 13. The presentation explained that "an unmodified opinion is essentially a clean audit opinion" 14. Unmodified opinions were reported for the financial statements 14 and federal awards, with no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies identified 14. The federal programs audited were child nutrition and Title II Part A 14. The Measure G performance audit sampled about $14.4 million of $33 million in building-fund spending 15 and issued no findings 15. In communications, Shaun Smith said he was proud of the clean audit 3.

🗣️ Public comment

The minutes list eight speakers: Adriana Cardenas-Isley; Afton Kesler; Malia Kesler; Linda Fraser; Andrew Romaine; concerned parent; Anaka Laine; and Kase Chong 2. The recording shows nine requests to speak 16. Names come only from the minutes, which do not say who said what, so the comments below carry none.

ICE. A parent mentioned a possible immigration-enforcement incident at a middle school 17 and noted that other districts have a notification process 17. The response from the dais was that parents would be notified, that there were no active incidents 17, and that the district had been told no visits were planned 17. A 2025 state law, SB 98, requires schools to communicate with families when immigration enforcement is present on a campus 18. District policy already requires the superintendent to notify the board of any such request for access 19.

Book fairs. A parent cited the consent calendar's fundraising item 20, which lists a Scholastic Book Fair 21. He said a book his daughter bought at one turned out to be about a lesbian relationship 20 and asked the board to look into it 22. He also mentioned menstrual-product machines in a K–6 boys' restroom, calling them "a state thing" 23. A self-described educator suggested making the librarian responsible for vetting Scholastic's titles 22.

AB 495. The same speaker opposed AB 495, saying release without direct parent verification "opens the door to mistakes, coercion, or exploitation" 22. The law, signed in October 2025, widens who may sign a caregiver's authorization affidavit 24. The board's November 20, 2025 agenda carried a resolution from President Shaw 25 whose procedures say no student is released to a non-parent without prior parent authorization 26.

Girls' sports. A student athlete thanked the board for its stance, arguing that physical differences after male puberty are something "even hormones cannot change" 27.

Valedictorians. A parent asked that valedictorians be chosen on sports or the arts, character, service and academics 28, saying an A in band or athletic PE now lowers a student's GPA 28. District regulation names as valedictorian the senior "with the highest grade point average," with extra weight for AP and honors courses 29.

Other comments. One speaker objected that at the December meeting a board member "was called a racist and the rest of the board was bullied" 30. Another introduced himself as the fire district's new liaison to the school district 30.

BST Academy. One speaker objected that out-of-district students compete in Chino High's class rankings 31 and likened the arrangement to the segregation she lived through 31 before the Civil Rights Act 31.

✅ Action and consent

The board adopted the proclamation for National School Counseling Week, February 2–6, on a motion by James Na, seconded by John Cervantes 2. The same mover and seconder carried the consent calendar 2, which had no items pulled 32. The consent items included:

• a warrant register of $4,910,791.49 21 33 and a purchase order register of $1,530,871.54 34;
• $70,692.55 in November legal invoices to three firms, including Tao Rossini, APC 35 33;
• a City of Chino after-school staffing contract raised to $1,538,563.97 because of enrollment growth 36 33;
• a $26,965 credit on the Glenmeade ES kitchen remodel 37 3;
• two expulsions 33;
• a resolution naming February Career Technical Education Month 33;
• the CTE/Perkins advisory committee and a Mt. San Antonio College articulation agreement 33;
• rejection of claims 3, four of them over a district vehicle that struck a parked car at Chino Hills HS 38.

The quarterly Williams report for October through December listed no complaints 39 3.

🎓 Student and employee representatives

Student representative Phoenix Kim reported rallies, senior nights and winter-sports recognition at Ayala, Chino, Don Lugo and Chino Hills high schools 1. Danny Hernandez, CSEA president, highlighted a three-day paraeducator conference on supporting students with special needs 1. Dr. Annette Hatch, CHAMP president, previewed elementary testing and reported that Dickey ES had held an AVID ceremony on January 13 for 236 current students and returning seventh graders 2.

💬 Board communications

• Shaun Smith described a Student of the Month breakfast at Townsend JHS and his children's experience in district programs 3.
• James Na commented on community concerns and asked staff to look into them, credited safe schools for rising enrollment, and closed with a Ronald Reagan quote 3.
• Andrew Cruz acknowledged a public speaker's passion and noted zero Williams complaints 3.
• John Cervantes praised counselors' preventive work, reaffirmed the district's commitment to parent notification, and said the board would keep fighting for transparency and safety 3.
• Superintendent Norm Enfield said bullying incidents have fallen significantly over several years, crediting counselors and PBIS 40.
• Sonja Shaw also said many Baldy View ROP certification programs now have waitlists and voiced frustration at how hard they are to fund 40.

📰 Outside coverage

Ayala High School's student newspaper, the Bulldog Times, covered the meeting. Its report highlighted the LCAP update, the AB 495 and ICE comments, the counseling proclamation and the audit 41.

---

An independent community summary of the district's records, not an official district document.