Chino Valley Unified Board of Education: March 19, 2026

The board came out of closed session having directed its lawyers to ask a court to dissolve the permanent injunction issued against the district 1, which blocks its parental notification policy 2. In open session it adopted two resolutions backing state bills, certified a positive Second Interim budget and raised developer fees 3 3. Special education ran from a staff cost review through much of public comment.

The record for this page is the minutes of this meeting, which the board approved on its April 16, 2026 consent calendar 4. President Sonja Shaw presided with John Cervantes, Andrew Cruz, James Na and Shaun Smith present. Superintendent Norm Enfield was absent, and Deputy Superintendent Grace Park attended 1.

⚖️ Back to court over parental notification

Reporting out of closed session, the board said it appointed Monica Rodriguez as assistant principal at Dickey ES. It also directed legal counsel to move to dissolve the permanent injunction against the district, citing "a material change in law following the Southern District of California's ruling in Mirabelli v. Olson and the subsequent order from the Supreme Court of the United States" 1.

By early May the district had filed the motion, arguing that the district's policy was "materially indistinguishable" from the one in Mirabelli 2. In September, San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Michael Sachs denied it, saying his 2024 injunction does not conflict with the Supreme Court's emergency ruling, according to EdSource reporting republished by LAist 5.

📜 Two resolutions backing state bills

• AB 1998 (Castillo), "Intimate Spaces." On a motion by Cervantes, seconded by Na, the board adopted Resolution 2025/2026-37 3. The agenda memo says the bill would amend the Unruh Civil Rights Act to define sex as "immutable biological sex" and require bathrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms to be separated on that basis. Single-occupancy restrooms could still be gender neutral 6. State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil announced she was co-authoring the bill two days before the meeting 7.
• AB 2365 (Sanchez), "Safe Classrooms Act." On the same motion and second, the board adopted Resolution 2025/2026-38 3. The bill would add offenses such as human trafficking and child abduction to the definition of egregious misconduct, and bar a certificated employee dismissed for such misconduct from education-related public employment 8.

Both items were submitted by President Shaw under Board Bylaw 9322 6. She brought a resolution supporting a state bill, AB 1314, by the same route in April 2023 9. On the recording, no trustee raised questions before either vote 10 11. During public comment, one speaker questioned whether the board should adopt such resolutions in the district's name 12. Another called them "senseless resolutions" 13.

💵 Special education: the costs and the complaints

Luke Hackney, Assistant Superintendent, presented the Special Education Expense Review, covering budget trends, revenue sources, cost drivers, staffing and per-student figures 1. He said special education employs 128 certificated and 500 support staff 14, that over $43 million is budgeted from the general fund this year 15, that the budget has grown by about $10 million in two years 16, and that "if it continues at this rate, it could potentially become a structural issue for the district" 16. One trustee asked whether the district tracks how well the program performs 16, and staff said they would work with the database vendor to pull that data 16.

Danny Hernandez, CSEA President, thanked Shaun Smith for job shadowing a warehouse delivery driver. He also spoke about the short-term paraprofessional II positions on the agenda and raised concerns about staffing when services are contracted out 3. On the recording he counted 54 such positions: five bus aides, 12 new and 37 extensions 17 17. He said outside agencies cannot do the whole job 18. The personnel report lists them as short-term appointments from April 7 to May 21 19 20. In board communications, Cruz said such positions are sometimes listed as temporary because student IEPs are not finalized 21.

🗣️ Public comment

The minutes list 21 speakers: Caity Martinez; Christopher Farley, Jr.; Tracey Guzman; Natalie Cooney; Amanda Swager; Paul Griffin; Frank Gerdine; Linda Higgins; Jason Wiley; Jim Gallagher; Samuel Love; Jackie Cortes; Allison; Rachel; Hannah; Lucas Liu; Sara Omari; Lisa Greathouse; Brad Berson; Misty S; and Xochitl Noetzel 3. The recording shows 23 requests to speak, and the chair set two minutes each 18. Names come only from the minutes, which do not say who said what, so the comments below carry none.

• Special education. Several speakers asked the board to reconsider releasing a special education program specialist at the end of the school year 22 23. A parent said they had to schedule four IEP meetings since August 24, and that a service written into another son's IEP was never provided 24. Another speaker compared the district's figure of about $19,000 per special education student with a state average of about $27,000 that she said she had found in "a quick lookup" 25.
• Legal costs. A student put legal spending at over $1.3 million last year and over $550,000 this year 26. That night's legal-services report showed a year-to-date total of $603,813.90 across three firms 27.
• Students. A group of students asked the board to stop making decisions that contradict state law and draw lawsuits, and to create a youth council 28. One said a single club at Ayala had collected more than 300 of 330 signatures on a petition 28.
• The board president. Several speakers criticized President Shaw's treatment of commenters and her campaign for state office 26 29 29 26. Shaw announced in March 2025 that she would run for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2026 30. One speaker asked trustees whether they disagreed with remarks attributed to President Trump about students with disabilities 31.
• Other topics. Speakers also thanked a retiring colleague 32, asked for a small podium 33, and raised translation and board policies on immigration enforcement 13 13.

After comment, the chair asked speakers to put concerns in writing 23 and said board members should not respond during comment 23.

🏗️ Budget, fees and consent

• Second Interim. On a motion by Smith, seconded by Cervantes, the board approved the report and authorized signing a positive certification for this year and the next two 3. The staff memo reports a balanced budget for 2025/26 through 2027/28 34.
• Developer fees. President Shaw opened and closed the hearing at 7:37 p.m. with no speakers. On a motion by Cervantes, seconded by Na, the board adopted Resolution 2025/2026-33 3. Following the State Allocation Board's January 2026 adjustment, fees rise to $5.38 per square foot for residential and $0.87 for commercial/industrial construction on May 18, 2026 35, up from the $5.17 and $0.84 adopted in 2024 36.
• CSEA bargaining. A hearing on the district's initial reopener proposal to CSEA opened and closed at 7:38 p.m. with no speakers 37. The proposal reopens wages and benefits 38.
• Consent. On a motion by Na, seconded by Cervantes, the board approved the consent calendar 37. It included legal-services payments to three firms 37 and the appointment of Kevin Cisneroz to the Measure G Bond Citizens' Oversight Committee 21. It also awarded the Chino Hills HS stadium turf replacement to FieldTurf USA, Inc. 21, whose $275,344.58 was the lowest of three bids 39.
• A payment over the bid limit. Consent also approved paying LHP Music, Inc. dba Nick Rail Music 21. The memo says orders for school sites totaling $228,827.33 exceeded the legal bid limit by $109,427.33, and the county had rejected the invoices 39.
• Policies. Consent approved a revision of Board Policy 3280 on real property sales and leases 21. A Board Policy 3312 revision on contracts was received for information 21.

🏅 Recognitions and presentation

President Shaw recognized the Cal Aero Preserve Academy K-8 Future City Team, regional winners and finalists, and Chino HS, Chino Hills HS, Canyon Hills JHS and Townsend JHS as California Distinguished Schools. BVROP Superintendent Shelley Adams presented on Baldy View ROP programs and a new Career Training Center pathway 1. The team's teacher said it "outperformed 35 teams, earning first place" at the regional 40.

💬 Board communications

• Smith spoke about the alleged Trump comment and about the IEP data the district is working to extract. He said reviewing the budget is the first step and performance data comes next 21.
• Na thanked staff working in unusual heat and set a goal of making the district the best in California 21.
• Cruz advocated higher pay for bus drivers, noted the district's number-one ranking in San Bernardino County, and disputed the alleged Trump remarks. He also voiced support for the Save America Act, criticized the Democratic Party, and expressed confidence in President Shaw's future political leadership 21.
• Cervantes highlighted student events and said the board would not settle for mediocrity 21.
• Park, for the superintendent, said the four new Distinguished Schools join 19 others in the district 41.
• Shaw read a thank-you note from Charlene King of the Stepping Up program and said Stanford had identified the district as a model for post-COVID recovery 42. She adjourned at 8:04 p.m. with a moment of silence for community member Denise Hobbensiefken 42.

An independent summary of Chino Valley Unified School District's records: the agenda packet, the meeting video's captions and the adopted minutes. It is not a district publication.