Board of Education — October 10, 2023

All right, everyone. Thank you for coming tonight. I'd like to call this meeting to order at six o'clock. I would like to make sure that everyone speaking tonight has received a copy of the public comment guidelines memo that is available on the back of the comment cards. We would like to remind everyone that the board has rules of decorum for the meeting, which precludes speakers from disrupting, disturbing, or otherwise impeding the orderly conduct of this meeting. Speakers may be warned or interrupted if their remarks become slanderous or personal. So please be courteous to everyone and let everyone have their chance to speak. With that said, we're going to go ahead and get started and move on to the Pledge of Allegiance.

Please stand. Place your right hand over your heart. Ready, begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Okay. I'll go ahead and take roll. Mrs. Renner. Present. Mr. Barra. Present. Mr. O'Neill. Present. Ms. Holohan. Present. And I am present. Can I have a motion to approve the minutes of the September 5th, 2023 special board meeting. Special board of education meeting in the minutes of the September 12th board of education regular meeting.

So moved.

Second? Okay. Thank you, Patty. Thank you, Jim. Any discussion? All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? Okay. Chair votes aye and so ordered. Moving on to public participation. This section of the agenda is meant for any member of the public to address the board on any agenda item listed tonight. This is the time that any member of the public may address the board on any agenda item before and during the board's consideration of the item, provided the person submits a completed registration card to address the board form to the clerk of the board or their designee prior to the time the chairperson calls the item for the board's consideration. This is not meant to be a debating period. Complaints and problems relating to policy matters will be referred to the superintendent. The person wishing to address the board shall, when recognized by the chairperson of the board, step up to the podium and announce their name. The chairperson shall then, in the interest of facilitating the business of the board, limit the amount of time to which a member of the public may use in addressing the board. Tonight, we have a fair amount of speakers, so we're going to be reducing time to two minutes. Unless the chairperson or a majority of the board determines that a different time limit is appropriate. no student trustee report. So we're gonna go ahead and move right into our public participation. Our first speaker is Tricia Keeling, followed by Ella Keeling. This is on an agenda item.

Good evening. My name is Tricia Keeling, and I'm the proud parent of two children within RUSD. It was a year ago, when almost to the day, when the failed campaign for a former school board member invited far right extremist groups to our community. The issue of banning books and banning pride flags were the topics of the evening that night. Fire right groups like the SPLC designated hate group the Proud Boys, January Sixers, members of Lexit, and ADL designated hate group Gays Against Groomers intimidated parents and individuals walking to their cars. They heckled and intimidated parents in the audience. They caused such a scene you had to shut the meeting down until some sense of decorum was met. At the end of that meeting, once many far-right extremists had been removed or had left, you were faced with your true community members who overwhelmingly supported the LGBTQ community in our schools. And here we are a year later, still discussing the very foundations of free speech and inclusion that our nation's constitution affords all of us and especially our kids. Because it's been a year, you've seen how these people act. Time and time again, they are working to chip away at the inclusion rights and safe spaces that our schools have had the opportunity to give our communities youth. They won't stop because they are driven by hatred and fear, fear of the other, fear of losing control. We've also seen what the price of allyship has meant with Cedar Glen resident Laura Ann Carlton being murdered by her far right extremists for simply flying the pride flag. The truth is we're discussing these things that sincerely affect the lives and well-being of already at-risk youth in our USD schools. These kids deserve a safe space. They deserve to be who they are without fear of retaliation or bullying. Adopting a policy to only display American or state flags will do this very thing. It will send a message to these kids that they don't belong, that this board does not support them. Please ignore the hate.

Thank you. Up next, Ella Keeling, followed by Milo Easley.

Hello, my name is Ella Keeling. I'm in the sixth grade at a Redland school. I believe we should not remove all flags other than the American state flags. This policy was obviously aimed at hiding all pride flags from the school. Out of all things that could hurt a child, a rainbow would definitely not be one of them. Imagine a kindergartener asking why rainbows are bad in the classroom. What would you say? If you really had to think about this, then the pride flag simply should not be banned. Another reason why this policy is impractical, the people who believe in this themselves won't omit the reasons why they are doing this. For example, the people trying to get this policy approved have done many anti-LGBTQ plus actions and have never seemed to care specifically about having any other flag but US to save flags. Having the pride flags in the classroom makes students feel included and creates a safe space for all students. It is important to stand up to hatred and love in everyone no matter who they are and what they believe in. Sometimes it's hard, as a child myself, seeing all this hatred everywhere and having to explain to grown adults that we are all humans. And if a rainbow makes some of you, grown adults, feel uncomfortable, you don't have to ruin it for children. As adults making the rules for children, us children should still be heard and seen as we are the ones being affected by this. Hate is a strong feeling, and it affects everyone. But if this policy is accepted, even just in our school district, children will mostly be the ones affected. And this generation, only at least in our area for now, will be taught to dislike or even hate the LGBTQ plus community, like how it was back in the past. I say, we let it progress, allow diversity, allow inclusivity, allow pride flags, allow love everywhere, and don't let hate un-overcome us. Thank you.

Thank you. Up next, we have Milo Easley, followed by Patricia Molnar.

Madam President, can you hold a second? We have an issue with the clocks. I mean, it's fine here. It's not displayed up top. Ours has six minutes here. No, that's the time. OK, we're good. Milo Easley? Hello, or can you hear me?

Go ahead. OK.

Hello, my name is Milo, I attend Redlands High School. My life is controversial and so is my body. I'm transgender and I'm sure that when people hear that about me, they get uncomfortable. I'm also 16 years old, and as a trans person, that scares people. I've always been trans and people do not believe me. But in a world where everything is gendered, and the lines in elementary schools are separated by boys and girls, those who do not fit within the gender binary, especially children, will know long before they tell anyone. There will always be transgender children as long as cisgender children exist because they will know that they are not them. This is the same for those who are queer and not necessarily transgender. Being queer is not an illness and does not wait for you to grow up. Every day I see people calling people like me mentally ill, disordered, and disgusting. Every day I see bills passed against transgender individuals that make life that much harder to live. There is not one day I face where I can confidently say that I do not feel hated today for something I will never be able to control. 82% of transgender individuals consider suicide and 40% of transgender people consider attempting suicide. Sorry, because of the hate they face and the representation they lack. In my time as a student in the RUSD, I have had favorite teachers. The teachers who had pride flags in their rooms and the teachers that asked me what pronouns I preferred, the teachers that made me feel safe. Without them, I had no place to rest. in the chaos surrounding the debate about whether or not people like me deserve to be alive. Sorry. I urge you to continue to support queer youth as you always have and be proud of doing so. A little bit goes a long way, even if it means letting a flag stay on the walls. Thank you.

Thank you. Up next, Patricia Molmar, followed by M. Arts.

Good evening, board, community members. My name's Patricia Molnar, I'm a teacher at Redlands High School, and I am the proud advisor of Redlands High School's GSA. And I'm not going anywhere, because students like Milo need us. The flags that I proudly fly in my classroom tell my students they're safe. They're not going to be bullied and if anybody is trying to bully them or take away their humanity, take away their identity, it's not going to happen on my watch. I feel that all the things that Ms. Keeling had just presented about the dangers people feel are the reason that members of my club, including my very proud president, are not here. Somebody didn't raise somebody right, if they're going to terrorize the children, they say they're protecting. Board, please continue to support our children. all the children, the diversity of the children. I teach kids who are conservative, liberal, moderate, kids who are from various countries. I've learned how to say in Brazilian, good morning. I've learned how to talk to kids. You don't have to believe what I believe to be my student. You have to use evidence. You have to back it up in your papers. And in learning French, the students learn that not everybody looks like Sylvie in Paris. We have a diversity in this country, a diversity that should be respected. I don't mind people having other opinions than me. I really don't. But when it becomes incivility, when it becomes threats, when it becomes bullying, bullies don't deserve to bully. They deserve to have opinions. But how you express your emotions, how you express your feelings, that's a different matter. So thank you for your service. Thank you for standing up for the right. Thank you for not letting people make you change your opinion. Thank you.

Up next we have M. Arnts followed by Sarah Russ.

Hi, I am a master's level psychologist and doctoral student at Loma Linda University. My specialties include treating adolescents and young adults. I have treated kids in San Bernardino and young adults in Redlands. My specialties also include treating queer and trans kids especially. I would say that I'm unbiased, but I am not. My sister's child attempted suicide three times because their transgender identity was not accepted. The research clearly states, clearly states unanimously that positive school environments LGBT positive school environments lower the rates of suicide among queer and transgender kids. I am tired of treating adults who were not accepted because of their queer and trans identities. I would much rather treat other issues in the therapy room. Thank you.

Thank you. Up next we have Sarah Russ followed by Paula Brennan.

Good evening. My name is Sarah Russ. I live in Redlands and I have two children in the Redlands Unified School District. This is my first time attending a board meeting. LGBTQ symbols on school campuses are crucial for fostering an inclusive and safe environment for all students. In today's society, It is essential to recognize and support the LGBTQ plus community, especially in education settings. Sorry, I'm nervous. I apologize. Let me provide you some current statistics to illustrate why these symbols matter. Recent studies show that LGBTQ plus students still face significant challenges. A 2021 survey by the Trevor Project revealed that over 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year. Additionally, 82% of the LGBTQ plus students reported experiencing verbal harassment based on their sexual orientation and or gender identity. Now consider the impact of LGBTQ plus symbols. When these symbols are predominantly displayed in schools, they send a powerful message of acceptance and support. They let LGBTQ plus students know that they are not alone, that their identity is valid, and that they are valued members of the school community. Moreover, research indicates that schools with visible LGBTQ plus symbols have lower rates of bullying and discrimination against those students. They help create an environment where all students can thrive academically and emotionally. In conclusion, LGBTQ plus symbols on school campuses are essential because they save lives, reduce harassment, and promote inclusivity. They are a beacon of hope and are... Sorry, thank you. Thank you.

Up next, we have Paula Brannon followed by Felipe Alberto.

Hi, my name is Paula Brannon and my son has attended Redland School since he was in first grade. I began to worry about my son's safety starting in middle school when he disclosed to my husband and I that he was bisexual. I was worried for him because I pay attention to the rhetoric and nastiness of people who fear and other the people who don't think and act like they do. It makes them uncomfortable to see two men in love. It angers them to see two women who commit to each other and are not interested in romance with men. I became less fearful for my son because teachers, counselors, and administrators since middle school have demonstrated care and compassion for a child who didn't conform to the image of what is acceptable Signs that affirm that a child is safe allow my son to enter a classroom, an office, a building, knowing he will be accepted and treated with respect. I love my son. I expressed to his teachers and counselors that I needed their help to make sure my son survives to graduation. A flag is not a demonstration or a distraction. A flag symbolizes the willingness of its bearer to provide a safe space for students who are different. It's not just students who are on the spectrum of LGBTQ plus. For that, this flag represents safety. It is all students who are not represented by what is tolerated or accepted. All are welcome. All are valued. All deserve a place that is safe. This flag represents that safety. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Albert Dao, followed by Paul Blatchley.

Hello, my name is Filipe Alberto. I'm a Redlands resident and my child is a Redlands Unified student. I came here to speak in favor of the flag, the pride flag. I support the pride flag because it represents all of us. I am an immigrant. My son is also an immigrant. My family will not be able to exist if you're not in the United States. When I see the pride flag, what I interpret is that I'm safe and my son is safe. So I look for the pride flag in spaces where I take my son to. I think it's a disservice to students, to this entire generation when we say it's not okay to show the pride flag. The pride flag means pride. It doesn't mean anything. The interpretation that other parents are giving to the flag are inventions from themselves. Like this is 2023. Thank you.

Thank you. Up next we have Paul Blatchley, followed by Kathy Sadalanala. I apologize for that.

Good evening board members, superintendent, cabinet. My name is Paul Blatch and I live in trustee area five and I'm talking to you as a concerned high school parent. So I'm talking tonight about your quarterly reporting on the Williams complaints. So if you've looked at your board materials, you know that the Williams complaints you've got for Q3 were zero. and for Q2 were zero, and for Q1 were zero, and for Q4 last year were zero. Right, so nobody's complaining about Williams' complaints. Now there's a lot of things you can complain to the school board or to the school district about. You need to put all of that stuff front and center on your web page so that people can find it because it's buried. So the Williams complaint is limited, right? It's just textbooks and instructional materials. And again, you've heard me talk about the fact that textbooks are not being used by certain teachers, right? And I think that would end up being a valid complaint for that. Under facilities, a school restroom has not been maintained or cleaned regularly, is not fully operational, has not been stocked at all times with toilet paper, soap, paper towels, or functional hand dryers. Right? I think that exists on our school campuses. The school has not kept all restrooms open during school hours when pupils are not in classes and has not kept a sufficient number of restrooms open during school hours when pupils are in classes. I think that's happening at schools. teacher vacancy and misassignment. Right? So I have not had this this year, but in the past, I've started the school year without a teacher assigned to the classroom that my student was in, and it was just a series of substitutes until the district was able to hire somebody. That's definitely happening in the district. And then lastly here, you've got teacher misassignment. Teachers assigned to teach a class for which the teacher lacks subject matter competency. I think that's happening in the school district. People, we need to complain to them more. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Blatchley. Kathy Sadnalala. Sorry about that. Followed by Kate Hines.

Cathy Sadanala, you were really close. I have three kids in three different schools in Redlands Unified. Two of my kids are trans and they come from very supportive family. It was not a big coming out situation for them. It was simply this is who I am and we went. Okay. And move forward with that. That being said, my children still get, they need a space where they know when they're at school if things are going wrong, they can find the person or the classroom. And that's with kids who are coming from a supportive background. So I imagine that kids who do not come from a supportive background need to see these flags even more. than mine do, and mine rely on that. There's been multiple times where they've literally had to run to a classroom that they already were aware was somebody who would stand up for them because they feared for their safety. The rhetoric and the hate is on the rise right now, especially against trans kids. And I think there's a lot of kids that are at our schools that are in the closet still because of the rhetoric and the fear that's being spread. So I would encourage you guys to keep the flags in the classroom and make them bigger. Paint the doors. Make it huge, put a banner on the roof. It's good for me. But banning them isn't going to, it's only going to have kids that are going to die because of that. They literally are lifesavers. Thank you.

Thank you. Kate Hines. Followed by Tracy Lowenthal.

Do I have to press a button? Okay. Hello, everyone. My name is Kate Heinze, and I'm a current REV high school student. The topic of getting rid of the pride flag is just absurd because if you get rid of one flag, you must get rid of all of them, including but not limited to college, sports, and religious flags. If you get rid of one flag, you must get rid of them all. Getting rid of a flag is an infringement on our First Amendment rights, specifically the right of symbolism, the freedom of expression, and finally, the right of free speech. Therefore, getting rid of a flag, specifically a pride flag, is just unconstitutional. A flag does not harm anyone. Is the true goal of this to get rid of every flag on campus or just the one supporting a marginalized community? The pride flag displays safety and that you are valued regardless of orientation or identity, just like how the American flag shows that we are Americans or how a chief's flag shows that you are a chief's fan. So I ask you again. is the true goal of this discussion to get rid of all flags or just the one targeting a marginalized community. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Heintze. Up next we have Tracy Lowenthal followed by Jen Ugubian.

Good evening. I thank the school board again for repeatedly demonstrating their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Excluding the pride flag is refusing to acknowledge the existence and contribution of LGBTQIA people. We strip kids, teachers, staff, and families of self-worth and a sense of belonging. I was raised in a relatively conservative Christian family here in Redlands. In 1988, I know I look 25, but in 1988, I was a senior at Redlands High School and a dear friend of mine came out to me as gay. I was shocked and horrified, not because this person was gay, but because I had been raised to believe that gay people were abominations, sinners, and predators. I was shocked because I suddenly had to make sense of the fact that the amazing human next to me was not the monster I was taught he would be. Had there been a pride flag in any of my classrooms, I may have had an opportunity to seek support around this new experience from a trusted adult. There were no pride flags. There was, however, a math teacher that made faggot jokes in second period about a student. There was also a history teacher that was completely inappropriate with me and other female students. I saw hate and grooming, and none of it was caused by LGBTQIA people. Removal of the pride flag will lead to less safety, not just for LGBT kids, but for all kids. Removal of the pride flag sends a message that it's okay to oppress and discriminate and use slurs. I witnessed that. Our children shouldn't have to. Exclusion and fear-driven, religiously-based instruction will cause mental and emotional harm in already vulnerable kids. Public schools should be a place of curious and respectful dialogue. The presence of a pride flag hurts no one. The exclusion of it hurts everyone. Thank you.

Thank you. Up next, we have Jania Grubian and followed by Miguel Rivera.

Hi, I'm Jen Ugubian, and I am the proud elementary counselor at Mentone Elementary School, also just coming from our kindness club, where we are working towards equity and inclusion. And when I first started teaching 30 years ago, we had some family members from PFLAG, parents and family of lesbians and gays, come to our school at one of my first staff developments. And one of the things that they talked to us about was having the flag in our classrooms, if that is how we believe, in order to non-verbally express to our students that it is a safe space, that we are safe people, they can come to, and that has forever been my belief and my system in my class and on my person. When I have my lanyard, I have lots of different emblems that support inclusion and equity in all realms. And in our school and in our schools in our district, it's imperative that we continue and thank you for the work that you have all done to espouse that and to make sure that all of our students know that they matter, that it is a safe place for them, that we believe in them, and that they belong. And so I encourage you to continue to work towards equity and inclusion in all realms and especially for our marginalized communities. Thank you.

Thank you. Miguel Rivera followed by Hannah Capps.

Hello, good evening. My name is Miguel Rivera. I'm speaking on behalf of myself as an LGBTQ resident of the Inland Empire. I also work with Inland Empire Prism Collective. We are an organization dedicated to youth leadership and empowerment, educating LGBTQ youth about civic engagement within their local communities. Today I'd like to address the harmful effects of banning LGBTQ pride flags in our schools. Such a ban is not just an affront to freedom of speech. Banning LGBTQ pride flags sends a direct message to LGBTQ students that their identities are not valid or welcome here in educational spaces. Schools are supposed to be an institution of excellence in proudly representing the diversity of their student body. Banning pride flags in our schools is an action that shows that schools do not value their students growing up into adult leaders who stand for acceptance and cultural competence in their communities. Pride flags are more than just fabric and color. They are symbols of acceptance, love, and community. For many students, seeing a pride flag in a classroom or on campus is the first sign that they are in a safe space where they can be themselves. Banning these flags perpetuates a culture of silence and discrimination. It takes away the voices of those who are already marginalized, putting their mental and emotional well-being at risk. If we are committed to fostering an inclusive educational environment for all students, then we cannot afford to make decisions that directly negate that commitment. Thank you for your time. I strongly urge you to reconsider any actions that would limit the freedom of speech and expression of our LGBTQ students. Thank you.

Thank you. Next we have Hannah Capps followed by Michael Pazner.

Good evening. My name is Hannah. I am here as a licensed clinical social worker, a mental health professional who works in Redlands, as well as maybe most relevant to tonight, a concerned queer citizen who also was a queer public school student. I'm here to speak against entertaining any kind of pride flag bands like the ones we've seen crop up in Temucula and Chino. The presence of the rainbow flag on campus either as the flag itself or as included in stickers or badges indicates that staff support allow for a safer learning environment for LGBTQ students. Per the 2021 National School Climate Survey released by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, 76% of LGBTQ identified students experienced in-person verbal harassment based on their sexual orientation, gender expression, or their gender. or in the past year. Students who experience this kind of harassment are three times more likely to miss school, feel lower levels of belonging, higher levels of depression, and have worse GPAs than students who do not. However, this can be mitigated by supportive school staff. Students with supportive staff at their school are less likely to feel unsafe. They are less likely to miss school and have reported better psychological well-being, higher levels of self-esteem, lower levels of depression, and lower likelihood of having considered suicide in the past year. I remember seeing the rainbow flag displayed either as a flag or the stickers at Yucaipa High School back in 2009 through 2012. This did not turn me gay. I already was. But it did let me and my friends know who we could turn to for support and for help while in school. And it let us feel safe in the classroom, which all students deserve. I also do identify as a Christian. And as a Christian, our two biggest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbors. Helping all students feel safer in our public schools is a powerful way to do that.

Thank you.

Thank you. Up next we have Michael Paesner followed by Eddie Delator.

Hello, Michael Paesner, Area 5. Restrictive flag policies have become yet another approach to erasing the LGBTQ community. But be assured, everyone sees the fear that is driving this effort. Calls to quote support traditional values clearly show that some people feel threatened by the LGBTQ community. But in response to those calls, I have to ask, when was the last time an LGBTQ member knocked on your front door asking if you found the LGBTQ community? When is the government ever shut down for an LGBTQ holiday? The one religious holiday when our government and the entire country shuts down is a Christian holiday, Christmas. Christians complaining about the pride flag being shoved down their throats should really walk a mile in my shoes during Christmas time. Some people are so intolerant of others' beliefs that no matter how much representation they enjoy, they still feel compelled to silence others. The pride flag is only a threat to you if you are insecure in who you are. People could choose to be curious about those different than themselves. When they see a symbol different than what they grew up with, they could ask questions. What is the story behind that symbol? Why is it important to you? Or they could just walk on by. But do not try to tell me a restrictive flag policy isn't targeting the LGBTQ community, because I've seen the post online saying explicitly, keep pride flags out of classrooms. Democracy starts with freedom of speech, but it only works when we actually listen to each other. Restricting what flags we fly stifles free speech, stifles representation, and it stifles democracy. If you believe in America, if you believe in freedom of speech, if you value education, which includes learning from our sometimes troubled history, then you will ensure we fly a wide variety of flags. And if traditional values include stifling other people's free speech, then that tradition is called oppression. And we're better off without it. Thank you.

Eddie Delator, followed by Jan Swanson.

All right. So my name is Eddie. I'm happy to be here. I apologize, I can't be nearly as eloquent as some of these folks here. I came invited kind of short notice, but like I said, I'm really glad to be here. From what I have heard, there was some safety concerns in the past, and I'm really excited to see that you guys put together and have police outside. So it makes me feel safer. I hope everybody else feels a little safer because of that. Next, the only thing I really can share with you guys is a small anecdote. So I used to be a teacher at San Bernardino High School. And actually, my first experience with transgender youth was in the classroom, and the student actually got bullied. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had the opportunity to learn more and have a flag in my classroom, because I truly do believe that that symbol would have represented to that student and to the classroom at large that this will not be a space where that type of bullying will be tolerated. That's all I have for you guys. Thank you.

Thank you. And my apologies, I think it's John Swanson. Sorry about that. Followed by Dominique Swanson.

Thank you. And I just want to say I'm super proud of everything I'm hearing tonight from this community. I'm John Swanson. I'm a Redlands resident for the past 20 years. I did not attend the Redlands school district, but my two children did pre-K through high school. I am 56 years old, meaning I was a high school sophomore in the 83-84 school year. I'm cisgender, married, and white male. I'm not gay, queer, transgender, or otherwise a member of the LGBTQI plus community. Excuse me. I love and adore many who are, including dear friends, colleagues, and family members. It's not lost on me that the ongoing protest against this community is not unlike any other civil rights movement this country has needed to endure. And those are not yet completed struggles either. After all, any educator or education policy leader being honest knows full well that life, liberty, and pursuits of happiness was never intended for all and has never been freely given. Like those who stood against race-based desegregation for the irrational threats they perceive, those who stand against LGBT students are on the wrong side of history. To them, I say your ignorance and bigotry is just as apparent now as it always has been throughout history, especially when you dress it up in Bible verses or religion. Worse yet, while you feign injury for your imagined threat, you seek to deny parents of their actual rights to protect, guide, and advocate for the LGBT QI loved ones through these times when it's so urgent. and you do not even care that you're denying this to them. For the school board, I implore you to see this fearful and, yes, hateful rhetoric for the prejudice and discrimination it is, and act decisively to reject it. You must assure safe spaces for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and allow teachers and school staff the ability to openly demonstrate this support, including by displaying the pride flag. There are not two equal sides here. They may be competing opinions, but this does not make them equal. Freedom of speech is not and must- Thank you. Must be freedom to express.

Dominique Swanson, followed by Jennifer Maravies.

Hello, my name is Dominique Swanson. I've had two children go through the Redlands Unified School District. And for those 16 years, I poured my time, my energy, and my heart into our school district. I care about our schools and our children. I'm here today to encourage you not to ban the pride flag. As you well know, the mission of the RUSD centers around a commitment to preparing students to become productive participants in a diverse, multicultural, democratic society. And the 2025 plan seeks to ensure excellence in education for all students, including creating a welcoming, safe, and secure environment. implementing programs that foster cultural and social understanding, and embedding character-building programs to foster a culture of open-mindedness, self-awareness, compassion, and inclusiveness. Banning the pride flag, a symbol of welcoming, acceptance, and safety, runs counter to those goals. The pride flag reflects a safe place for LGBTQ students and for other students as well, all students. and it sets the tone of compassion and kindness. It is a visible display of support for students who may not have that support elsewhere. The research tells us that a sense of belonging plays an important role in fostering academic and mental health outcomes of all students, particularly students from marginalized groups. I work at a community college, and today we had an event in celebration of National Coming Out Day. Over 100 students stopped at our booth to get buttons, stickers, flags, and other goodies. They were also invited to write messages of support to their fellow students. And I'll tell you there were two boards full of loving, kind, supportive messages, compassionate. That is the spirit of inclusion. That is the spirit of pride. Thank you.

Up next, we have Jennifer Manavias, followed by Erin Hudson. I've allowed for a few more cards to be taken, being that I understand everybody's here to talk about this issue, and I want to give everybody the fair opportunity. But this is, as of this moment, this is the last opportunity. Anybody has to turn in a green card. After this, we will not be accepting anymore. And this is the only opportunity to speak on this item on the agenda.

Okay. Good evening, everyone. My name is Jennifer Maravillas, and I want to start by saying that we've seen a beautiful display of love, community, acceptance, and I'm sure that later on we will hear from some very Accepting voices. I'll just put out that but I want us all to remember what we're hearing right now because this is what the community represents I live in this community. I have a child that attends this district I'm here today to ask you the school board to continue to prioritize diversity equity and inclusion This flag here, to many students, represents acceptance, tolerance, community, and most importantly, and we've been hearing it time and time again with all the people who are commenting today, this flag represents safety. This flag is significant, a visual, significant symbol that is especially important during these times when our LGBT community and an already marginalized group is being unjustly targeted and wrongfully vilified. I trust that this school board will stand for all students regardless of their gender, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Banning the pride flag would be a major step backwards, but again, I trust that you all will do the right thing and will stand up for the most vulnerable students in our school district.

Thank you. Thank you. Up next we have Erin Hudson followed by Val Zavis.

Hi, thank you for your time. My name is Erin Hudson. I'm a resident of Redlands. I have three children in the Redlands Unified School District, and I am an educator in the Redlands Unified School District. I have a pride flag in my classroom. I also have sentence starters. Literary devices and the steps to writing an essay on my walls. Is everything in my classroom needed by every single student? Probably not. Some students need sentence starters. Some students need to know what personification is. Some students need a reminder that the introduction comes before the conclusion. But all students need to know that my room is a safe space where everyone is loved and everyone belongs. I would argue that most students hardly notice it. I have received zero negative feedback from parents or students over it, and that's saying something because middle schoolers love giving negative feedback. But I have received small, quiet comments of I like your flag or I'm happy to see that. Believe me when I say I don't have time to push any kind of woke or liberal agenda onto my students. I have a hard enough time getting them to turn in their work. No one is required to have a pride flag in their room. No one is required to join pride groups or march in rallies. But these kids and all kids just want to exist in peace, and they deserve that. They need the support of adults in their life. All students deserve to be seen, represented, and most of all, feel safe. Thank you.

Thank you. Up next, we have Val Zavis followed by Christine Collinsworth.

First off, I'm not afraid of a rainbow. The rainbow is God's promise. Genesis 9, I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. I respectfully urge this council to put forth a policy that ensures all schools within our district display only the American flag, as other school districts already have done without issue. The introduction of any other flag banner or signage that is specifically associated with any group is a showing of favoritism for that faction. This arbitrary preferential treatment by its very nature is full of biases. Such action imposes those specific ideals and beliefs upon all. This misguided allegiance acts as a mandatory validation that is forced on the collective regardless of their personal views. A flag that represents sexual preferences has no place in a classroom. And a teacher displaying it in their room is an indication that that particular teacher is willing to talk about sexual topics with their student. And that is not the job of a teacher. And based on our test scores, teachers need to be more concerned with teaching and less about being a safe space for children. Regarding a student not feeling welcome without the pride flag, what about the Christian student or other nationalities, religions, or groups? How did they get through their school day without seeing a flag specifically for them? What if a Trump flag was on display in a classroom? How would some of you feel about that? I venture to guess a few of you would become quite unhinged. In my opinion, if a student knows their teacher's political party or sexual preferences, that teacher has gone too far into their personal beliefs. The classroom is not the teacher's personal space where they can display their preferences of such matters. This board can enforce a policy that reflects a uniting behind our stars and stripes, acting as a bonding agent for all staff and students. Lack of action on your behalf leaves an opportunity for unwarranted displays that elevate and demonstrate partiality for one while maintaining certain beliefs.

Thank you. Up next we have Christine Collinsworth followed by Candy Olsen.

So my speech is not going to be nearly as eloquent as Val there. These are just some thoughts I put together tonight. I wasn't planning on really speaking, but it's needed. Public schools are no place for gay pride flags. Our children are ours to raise and instill our beliefs. We still have rights over our children, whether anyone likes it or not. We can have our own beliefs in this country, and that's what makes it great. I can promise you, you aren't oppressed because you don't have a pride flag in your classroom. I support flying the American flag as it is the most inclusive flag of all. The gay pride flag doesn't include my children. That's not inclusive at all. There is nothing more inclusive than this country. And since when is it important and crucial to talk about your sexuality at school to adults? This flag represents safety. The people who fought and died for you to have the safety you have today. So I hear all the talk about the safety. The American flag stands for safety. This is where all the immigrants run to for safety. The American flag is, like I said, it's the safest of all flags. That makes everyone feel safe. That's all I have to say.

Thank you. Up next we have Candy Olson followed by Let's see. Let's see. Candy, you have two minutes to speak on any agenda item. So it's going to have to include both topics. You have another card on a non-agenda item, and that one will be separate.

Wait, so you're going to limit me to one minute? Is that what you're saying?

You have two minutes total time on any agenda item.

Well, I wanted to speak on two agenda items.

Then you have two minutes. You can talk about whatever you want about the agenda in two minutes.

I don't think that's the rules. All right, you can go ahead. OK, I'm going to have two minutes now and two minutes on the other agenda item, correct? Yes. OK, and I also have a public comment.

Yes, I have that.

OK, the American and California flag, just like Christine said, they're inclusive. They represent all of the students. They are offensive to no one. In addition, the notion that the pride flag is not a sexual flag is an attempt to gaslight you. The very name tells you what it stands for, lesbian, gay, bisexual. I mean, come on. Of course, it's a sexual flag. It shouldn't be in the classroom. There's no need for any type, including heterosexuality, to be on display in a classroom. Stick to academics and not sexual or other ideology. If a teacher wants to put up a CCP communist regime flag, a Nazi flag, or a BLM flag in their classroom, you realize that this would be allowed. in according to your current standards. Here's what I recommend. In addition to the American and California flags, I would say no ideological flags, only country of origin flags to allow for teaching different countries or having multicultural days. And I would allow sports flags like CIF, et cetera. I'm not sure where that psych student gets her information, but the actual data shows that the more you affirm and transform, the more depressed, the more suicidal LGBTQ children are. In fact, they are on more psychoactive drugs after transformation. There are no lawsuits regarding this flag policy. Our city council is brave enough and you need to do the same. Please disregard these emotional pleas. People's emotional dysfunction is not the school's responsibility. It is time you did the right thing. I'm very hopeful you will. This is a terrific opportunity to gain some respect in this community. Thank you so much.

Okay, up next we have Dr. Broom. Dale Broom? He's outside. Okay. Up next, we'll go with Lawrence Hebron. He's outside too. Okay. We'll wait.

Am I allowed to speak? Dale Broom? OK. Go ahead. Yes. They didn't tell us that you guys were allowing us to come in. They held us outside. So in any event, I would also like to urge the school board to adopt a proposed resolution to allow only the American and California flags to be flown in the classroom and on school grounds. Many of you may be aware that the United States Supreme Court has already rendered a decision on this matter. In the case that was brought against the city of Boston in 2022, the Supreme Court decided that if a government decides to allow a special interest group to fly their flags on government property, it must allow all special interest groups of the community to fly their flags, including religious flags. And so if we are going to continue to allow gay pride flags to be flown in the classrooms, then I would like to suggest that we also allow people to fly a pro-life flag. This is a pro-life flag. Just to show you an example, there may be people who want to fly religious flags, Christian flag, Islamic flags. They may want to fly other flags. So once you cave into one special interest group, you're required, according to Supreme Court decisions, to allow other people to fly their flags. So the best policy is to be neutral, just like our city council made this recent decision not to fly the great pride flag over the city hall. And they deliberated on this quite a bit. You can talk with any of the city council people and get their input. But a lot of thought went into that decision. So we don't want to be allowing teachers to push propaganda such as the LGBT agenda or any other type of agenda in the public schools. By putting that in the school classroom, that is communicating to the students that this is good, this is acceptable, because the students intrinsically trust their teachers. So how do they know? They're going to have to have parents that are going to have to inform them, teach them, that type of thing. But don't let the teachers push their agenda on our students. Thank you.

Thank you. Up next we have Lawrence Hebron. Dr. Crum. Dr. Crum.

Good evening. My name is Lawrence Hebron and I live in Area 3 of the Redland School District. My dad was a B-24 pilot during World War II, and during the course of his service, he was shot down. He tried to make it to Switzerland, but when they actually crash landed, he didn't know if he had made it there or not. He was quickly approached, he and his crew, by uniformed soldiers, not knowing whether they were Swiss or German. It turned out they had reached Switzerland. They were Swiss. And how did these Swiss soldiers welcome these American aviators? With open arms and hugs and flowers and Swiss chocolate and cheese and thanks for courageously standing against the Nazi oppressors to the north? Nope. They arrested them and put them in a prisoner of war camp. You see, the Swiss had declared their neutrality in order to avoid the horrors of war. To protect that neutrality, they had to attempt to shoot down any overflying aircraft of any belligerent nation and to imprison the captured aviators. There was a certain wisdom in the policy of the Swiss, at least sometimes, and I would urge the Redlands School Board to adopt that same wisdom. You are occasionally approached by the representatives of certain groups to show support for them by declaring a day or week or month in their honor and to fly their flag. Please don't. Once you crack open that door, like Pandora's box, you open the way for all kinds of trouble. Think about it. To be fair, and you must, or you could be sued, if you honor gay pride, you must also honor straight pride. If you acknowledge pro-choice, you must acknowledge pro-life. And if you fly the flags of Antifa, BLM, or trans rights, you must also fly the flag of MAGA. All of this contributes to distraction and division, neither of which is conducive to a good environment for education. So again, I urge you to follow the wisdom of the Swiss. Be neutral. Just say no to all of them. Thank you. And avoid the horrors of war. Thank you.

Andy, if you want to go ahead and come back up, you can talk on your second item. and then followed by Kenny, we'll have Jeanette Wilson.

Oh, I'm sorry. Did I give one for Juan? Maybe he could share with Jim or something. I'm sorry, Juan. I didn't mean to leave you out. Regarding agenda item J, the Salinas family counseling, I was curious. It says at no cost to the district. Is this change, is it because we're just changing wording or previously held contract? So I was just wondering about the cost. How are we getting this counseling for free or was it decided previously? I found it alarming when it's described to streamline and enhance the process of significant and positive transformation. I've never heard of traditional counseling described like that. So I looked into this counseling center and I'm wondering, did any of you do the same? There is a recurrent theme of distancing the client and student from the family not to mention other major problems. I would like to know who exactly approved this counseling center to work with our children. My jaw hit the floor when I read through their public online posts. I've provided you a copy. I'm just going to read a few from the Selena's family counseling. Grief is not fair. There is no right way to deal with loss. It fucking sucks. Sometimes family isn't everything at Selena's counseling. Dear anyone going to college, don't let anyone make you feel like it's good enough, like you're not good enough. Fuck that. Rosas, Selenas, you are fucking magic. And then another one, who you were does not determine who you are. Your growth is badass. So I wonder what that means, who you were does not determine who you are. You don't need to use Freudian quotes all fucking day to be a good therapist. Also, you have the right to cut family off. You don't owe anyone. I would advise you to cancel this contract with this foul-mouthed, grossly inappropriate, unprofessional, progressive counseling center. This looks to be the very last place I would ever trust to counsel my child. Again, I advise parents in this district to opt out of all counseling services. You can clearly see why this is needed now. Visit our website for an opt-out form to turn into your principal. Thank you.

Thank you. Up next, we have Jeanette Wilson, followed by Jerry Hilbig.

Good evening. I too have concerns about the counseling center that is on the agenda tonight. During agenda item discussion, can you answer questions? No? Oh, that's sad. So anyway, I think the questions I have is, will this be on school time? Who makes the referral? Who is qualified to make that type of referral and determine what counseling center is used? I would think a parent should be informed that the school feels their child needs counseling. The parent can then decide if they agree and also can decide Excuse me and also candy. Is there something you guys need to talk about? Okay, and also decide what counseling center they want to send their child to just as candy just read this counseling center has horrific information on their website and just so you know the according to a child psychiatrist Miria Grossman If no gender transitioning is provided, which this counseling center obviously would have a leaning towards that, 80 to 98% of children with gender dysphoria desist from their delusion and embrace their biological sex. And to put kids in counseling where parents are not involved and parents have not even signed off on it is horrific. The school districts can have more and more lawsuits. And I say also the flag is not all inclusive, the pride flag. The American flag is all inclusive. The pride flag, again, just puts a break between kids, between parents and their kids, between the community. And why not just have the American flag? Thank you.

Thank you. Someone will be reaching out to you regarding the answers to the questions you just asked. Up next we have Jerry Hilbig followed by Daniel Tinajero.

Hi, I just got up here because I came in and I feel like We need equality, not equity, equality. We're all born here and we're all homo sapiens. We're all children of God in that I think God is the one who gave us life. And life begins in the womb.

And it's like- I'm sorry, Mrs. Hilbig, you're speaking to the board, so you have to direct it. Yeah.

But I'm really speaking to everyone. This is an everyone issue.

I understand that, but unfortunately- Yes.

I will gladly put my face towards you if that makes it better. It's like, what are all these flags? We just want an American flag that represents America and the protection that America gives. People are flooding into our borders. And I think it's because we have freedom of speech. We have things that other countries do not have. And equality was one of them. But mainly freedom of speech. If you start putting up every different kind of flag imaginable, you would have a Palestinian flag, a Jewish flag. Why wouldn't we have a Nazi flag? Why wouldn't we have a PAL flag? I just don't get it. I can't understand.

Thank you. Up next, we have Daniel, Tina Hetal, and followed by, this is Megan.

Hello, everybody. Thank you for giving me these two minutes. This is my first time attending a board meeting. I didn't plan on having to do a speech. But as a concerned parent, I just wanted to say that I have four beautiful children attending the system. So I don't think it's beneficial for the schools to have the pride flag displayed. This is the only flag that should be displayed. Because I, too, as an immigrant, I understand the value that family brings to the school, how the children are raised. I'm not a homophobic. I love all, because that's the way I was raised. Now, if any kids have a preference, then the parents can talk to them and teach them and guide them, like I do with mine. You see, I always teach them if you see something else different, if they have a question or whatever the case is, they come and talk to us and they will guide them and show them how to proceed against it. But I don't want my children to be pushed on the agenda that has to do with sex. I don't want my four-year-old daughter to know that that flag is about gay lesbians. I just don't. I can't understand it. Like I said, if that's their belief, I'm fine. I don't agree. I don't support it. I respect them because they have the freedom to say whatever they want to do or they want to say I'm sorry. But in my case, it's that please, please, please don't have this flag this place in the classroom because I don't think it's beneficial for any kid because the only thing it's going to cause is going to confuse them. And I just don't think it's beneficial. Thank you.

Thank you. We have Megan followed by Valerie Tabor.

Good evening. I am here to urge that you do not pass this flag policy. I've been hearing a lot of misinformation about what this flag seems to mean, that it's all about sex. But when the flag was created in 1978, it had a very specific meaning to it. A flag that stands for red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, and blue for serenity, violet for the soul. Nothing about sex there. What this flag means for people within the community is a space of safeness and acceptance because not, especially for queer youth, not every child has a safe and affirming home to go to. They hear everything. They hear their parents say, oh, hate the sin, love the sinner. Oh, look, those people kissing. That's horrible. Too much. It's being shoved in my face. They hear this, and they know that they cannot be safe here, that they wouldn't be accepted. So why take one of the few places that they can feel safe in. They may see that flag and be like, wow, I can actually be myself here. I've been in a mask my whole life. I actually can be myself and have that belief in someone to be a safe space. Why take that safe space for them? You've heard some of the parents say how much they don't accept it. They don't agree with it. And you're taking the ability for them to feel safe away from them by removing the pride flags from the classrooms. Thank you.

Thank you. Next we have Valerie Tabor, and we have one more card. I want to make sure everybody had the opportunity to speak, but I am not taking any more cards at this point.

Hi, my name is Valerie Tabor and I live in trustee area 5. I know the board has received a lot of feedback recently about getting more input from the community on hot topic discussions like the one we've had tonight and I appreciate the board's efforts to engage the community in more transparent discussions when deciding policy. We could all use a little more transparency and this goes a long way to rebuilding trust with the community, especially with the district's history. However, in allowing some topics to be discussed, we might get positions that are questionable at best and harmful at worst to platform. And we may imply that both perspectives hold validity when this is not always the case. I wanted to wait to comment until I had heard some of the different perspectives that were shared this evening. I want to urge the board to continue to make choices that support transparency, support accessibility, and support inclusivity by being discerning in the discussions that are placed on the agenda for public forum. As neutrality can allow intolerance to flourish. Please continue to support all of our students by allowing the pride flag to continue to be flown. Thank you.

Okay, this is our last speaker on this topic. It's Maria Montes.

Good afternoon. My name is Maria. Does this flag offend anybody? It represents me. It represents my family who came from Darancho, from Jalisco, Mexico. They're proud to be an American. My family fight They're in the military right now, and I'm going to tell you something. They can care less what you are. This flag represents everybody. This is accepted, but once you bring in another flag to represent this flag, you are dividing us. We don't care what your sexual orientation is, what you believe. That's your personal opinion. I guarantee you, is the school teaching the kids how did this flag become, the colonies, how they began? Do you know? You guys know. You guys know. No, they don't. I have my son. When I told him the agendas for the flag, I said, I'm going to go speak because you know what? The American flag should be the only one. Who are the people in the military here? Officers. You guys represent this. Military. I have family in the military. Currently, Jorge was here. Currently, he is a sergeant in the Army. Who knows? They're going to be called out in the Middle East. Those are the people. This flag represents them because of them. We have our freedom. Because of them, their opinions are here. They can speak because their opinions, they're open. It's freedom of speech because of the American flag. Not because of the LGB flag, because the American flag. If you open, if you guys are open to keep the other flags, other people, and I'm hoping parents who are against this, make sure you bring your Trump flag, make sure you bring your Mexican flag, because you know what? My parents are proud to be Americans, and this is the only flag they have in their home, because it represents everybody. Everybody. Thank you. I'm still waiting for your secretary to contact me.

That completes our public comments on agendized items. I already said this earlier, but we have no student trustee report, so we're going to move on to association reports. Mrs. Apt, we will start with you and a report from RTA. Thank you.

Good evening school board trustees, superintendent, cabinet, staff, and community. I know it's been a long evening, so I'm going to keep my report very short tonight. We have started visiting our school sites and talking with our certificated staff. We have made it a goal to reach out and speak with each and every one of our members. It's a daunting task, but we're up to it. We started off last week at Clement and Franklin. It was inspiring to talk with all the staff about their school year. And we keep hearing about how excited they are to work with their colleagues and administrators on creating the best learning environments. They're striving to build each other up and help when problems arise. We have new teachers and we're very encouraged to see that our veteran teachers are reaching out and being mentors for them along with our induction program. And I hope that you get a chance to see the induction program and the counseling services that we have for our veteran teachers as well as they, I'm sorry, I said counseling, let me correct that, coaching experiences for our veteran teachers. One of the exciting things we had this last weekend was CTA State Council, I'm sorry, CTA Special Education Conference and we had several of our teachers attend, but we also had Jessie Goss was presented, was selected to be one of the presenters and she spoke about managing work paper load in education, so we're very proud of her. And then last week on Friday we were at Arroyo to be there for their family movie night. We had the privilege of working with RESPA and passing out stickers and fruit rolls. So short report tonight. Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you. Up next we have RESPA and Mrs. Huerta Brewster.

Good evening, members of the board, Superintendent Cabral, members of the cabinet, and distinguished guests. I am honored to stand here before you today. RESPA leadership had the opportunity to visit sites last week. It was nice seeing CNS at their various sites interacting with the students. I appreciate the hard work and dedication of our CNS employees. RESPA and RTA will be helping PTA with all festivals at the elementary sites, and we are excited to see all the smiling faces of the students and their families. Thank you, RTA and RESPA members, for your continued efforts and support. In conclusion, I'd like to express my gratitude once again for the opportunity to speak tonight and to extend my heartfelt thanks to our dedicated members for their unwavering hard work. Your efforts are truly appreciated and are the driving force behind our success. As we move forward, let us continue to work together towards our common goals. Thank you.

Thank you. Up next, we have Dr. Acosta with RAPA.

Good evening, president, trustees, superintendent, and cabinet. I'm here to spread some sunshine. Can't wait. So I wanted to share a few things. Our elementary sites are all getting really excited for all of our fall festivities and Red Ribbon Week that are upcoming. Secondary is starting PSATs and SATs starting tomorrow. This year, one of the changes that the PSAT is going to be held electronically. It is also National School Nutrition Lunch Week, so we are really excited to be celebrating and promoting students eating lunch here. For those watching online, we just want to encourage kids to eat here every day. They can eat breakfast, breakfast break, which happens at recess, lunch, and then we even serve meals for our students who participate after school as well. It is also Digital Citizenship Spirit Week next week, which is new to us this year. And so a few examples are Tuesday, keeping yourself safe online so you're dressing up as a superhero. Another one is Wacky Socks for the reminder against your digital footprint, because that is something we want students to know using technology each day that the digital footprint matters. Another one is that Wednesday the 18th is unity day and that goes along with our Anti bullying for the month of October. So we are celebrating a lot Encouraging a lot and we are just very proud to keep moving in this tenth week of school. Thank you guys so much

Thank you, Dr. Acosta. We're going to move on to board committee reports, and we'll start with CRYOP. But CRYOP, we already did our report last, uh, our last meeting, and our meeting is tomorrow. Um, so we will move past that, and we'll go to Mrs. Renner with compact, rep, and if she would like, Parks and Rec.

Okay. So, um, for- I'll start with compact. Um, only thing I- their meeting is next week, but the one thing I want to remind, Jim I think you're gonna go on the 12th. Are you gonna go so if anybody else wants to go one? I'm not sure if you got the invite. Did you get that for the on the 12th for compact the mixer? Okay, so That's on the top. That's one thing I have for compact for rep meeting is tomorrow night and For parks and rec the meeting is on Thursday. So I'm it's very short for me today. I

All right, thank you. Mr. O'Neill? Anything for cultural arts or CSBA? Neither? OK. All right. Up next, we all have our superintendents report. Mr. Grohl.

Just an exciting announcement because we just were confirmed to have received the CSBA Golden Bell Award for our C-STEM program. So congratulations to our students, to our staff, It's exciting. I think it's the, Dr. Wagner, would you say fifth in a row? Fourth?

That would be five in a row.

Five in a row. That is phenomenal. Our district is doing great things. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Garrell. I will now move on to superintendent's recommendations under business services consent items. Mr. Hill, do you have any changes or additions to the human resources action items?

Thank you, President Ayala Quintero. No changes or additions tonight for business services.

OK. All right. Can I have a motion to approve items 13A, consent items B through R?

I'll approve that with pulling J for further investigation on that.

J. This to be a second.

I'll second that. I'll second.

OK. All right. So then we have a motion to approve items 13A through, sorry, 13A consent items B through our polling J. All right. Yeah, can we have any discussion?

You'll go ahead and give us further information on that.

Yes.

Yeah, we didn't want to just see what that we can have it back on the agenda for the next meeting Yeah, thank you All right, all those in favor. Aye. Aye Any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered We have no business services action items. I'll move on to educational consent items Dr. Wagner any changes or additions

Thank you, President Aila-Cantaro.

No changes or additions.

All right, can I have a motion to approve items 15A, consent item B? So moved. Thank you, Patty. Thank you, Alex. Any discussion? All right, all those in favor say aye. Aye.

Aye.

OK, any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered. We have no educational services action items, so we'll move down to human resources consent items. Dr. Robinson Phillips, do you have any changes or additions?

I have no changes or additions this evening, thank you.

Okay, can I have a motion to approve items 17A, consent items B through AA.

Move to approve.

Thank you Jim, thank you Michelle, any discussion?

Does Mr. Gugersberg want us to approve this? It does include his retirement. So if you want me to, I will. Otherwise, we'd pull that one. No, no, we might be pulling that.

Consider that as a separate item.

All right, we will. OK, we will move. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered. OK. We do not have any human resources action items, so we'll go right into the closed session readout. In regards to the public employee appointment part of the agenda, I would like to report the following. In closed session, the board took action to appoint Eric Torres to the position of safety manager effective October 16th, 2023 at step one of the management team salary schedule with the following vote. Ayala Quintero, Holohan, O'Neill, Renner, Varro voting aye. Eric, are you here this evening? Of course you are.

Wasn't really prepared for any speech today, but just want to say thank you very much. Definitely excited for this new position, new role, and I won't let you down today. I'm going to bring out my parents who are living the life right now of retirement.

Can we see parents there? Can we see mom and dad?

I'm definitely really excited to be in this role and definitely am surrounded by a great safety department, safety team and administration team too as well and I'll definitely do my best and you know what, I'm only as good as my safety department and good thing we have one of the best safety departments out there in RUSD and in the state of California.

And thank you, Eric. Congratulations. Very proud of you. All right. We are on to our item 19, discussion item. Mr. Cabral.

This item is before you as a requested agenda item and to provide an opportunity for the board to discuss what the request is, which is to modify our current practice. Our current practice for information is to follow the education code, government code, and civil code, which in summary states that we must fly the American flag at all of our properties, school sites, prominently at the front of our schools, district office, et cetera, which we of course do. also that we fly the American flag in our classrooms which we do and that we take a patriotic moment every day which we also do in the form of saying the Pledge of Allegiance And so we very much are compliant with What our government code and our education code? And the policies that are before us and so I want to make sure that the board has that context But this time is for you to ask questions or have a discussion

All right, i'll open the floor to the board alex So currently with our flag policy that we have and you said we're following all education and state regulations Is there any issues with us continuing to allow? teachers to fly the pride flag in the classrooms

There's not an issue as far as legality. It is not against any kind of policy to have a pride flag displayed in a classroom.

As long as it is the most, I mean the American flag is the most prominent.

American flag should always be the most prominent flag that is displayed, yes.

Okay. And then once again, this is not an action item. This is a discussion only, correct?

Correct.

Does anyone else have any discussion? Mr. O'Neill?

Well, I want to thank you and our superintendent for putting this on the agenda and responding to the public in that way. And I also wanted to make a comment that I'm very grateful and thankful for all the speakers that came tonight and addressed the board. And I really appreciate their civility and their respect and manners towards each other. And I know for almost all of them it takes a lot of courage to be able to come up and speak your feelings and let people to know how you are on a certain issue. So I wanted to make sure I said that and share my deep appreciation for everybody that spoke tonight. Since putting it on the agenda, I had a lot of time just to reflect. In fact, I had a lot of time where I was awake in the middle of the night reflecting. So I don't know if I appreciated that so much. But I'm the senior person up here. I've been around a long time. You know, I remember, I hate to admit it, but I was alive during the civil rights movement where segregation and discrimination was legalized. It was part of our fiber as Americans. And we've certainly come a long way. though it's been a long time, and we're not there yet. We've still got a lot of things and things, more things are added to it. But I also saw gender equality. develop over my lifetime. And as a young man, I just remember the burning of the bras. It was one of those issues, but it spoke loudly in terms of the inequity towards women that was experienced by all of us, especially women in America. Patty, you remember some of that, huh? I'm just kidding. a little senile sometimes you know it's a little late for him right now yeah we started early so it's okay jim i need my uh i need my naps especially being up at night And you know, the American flag, I had a lot of thoughts. Everybody that spoke tonight about America and the meaning of the flag, you know, I can appreciate their thoughts on that, and I have many of those same thoughts. And the American flag is a symbol of freedom and liberty for all. It's still a work in progress. It's not perfect. It's got some blemishes in history. But as stated by the Constitution, I wrote this down. Liberty means freedom from arbitrary and unreasonable restraint upon an individual. Freedom from restraint refers to more than just physical restraint, but also the freedom to act according to one's own will. Now, if we say liberty is a state of freedom, And we're going to have that flag represent that. It means to exercise human rights in any manner a person chooses, so long as it does not interfere with the exercise of the rights of others. I did a little research on this. One of the things that we have a problem with in our country, I believe, is tolerance. While tolerance simply endures, the people are different, acceptance moves past that and promotes an environment of equity, mutual respect, and appreciation. It's a version of the golden rule, if we really think about it. It's also a pragmatic formula for the functioning of our society. As we can see, there's many different religions, political ideologies, nationalities, ethnic groups. We are a melting pot. And here's the important part that I came to realize in my thoughts, is that beyond tolerance and acceptance, we hope comes understanding. And I think a lot of us lack the understanding. As one person said, walking in somebody else's shoes makes a big difference. And that's difficult for most people because they won't be able to do that. So we have to really work hard on understanding. Now, I looked at other districts and their policies. I took the time to do that. And the superintendent shared with us what the ed code is, and we're in compliance with that. I think it's never been a more important time, and I'm speaking to the audience as well, for students and parents to have daily conversations about their life and their day and choices and consequences and what's happening in their schools. And especially when it comes to social and personal interactions, what's happening on their social media networks, Fact-checking, not sure what we can believe anymore in our country. It's disappointing. And certainly what the expectations are. But family discussions, I think, are missing. And those need to take place. And parents need to really work hard on being involved in their students' and their kids' lives. Students need our trust. But as adults, I think Ronald Reagan said it, trust but verify. We need to verify what they've been up to and what they're involved in. And our influence can come in that form if we know our kids and spend time with our kids. You know, I trust our teachers to maintain an unbiased and professional approach to educating our students within Redlands, within our district. And it happens without indoctrination or judgment. I trust them to do that. These have been my thoughts this week. As you can see, I've spent a lot of time thinking about it. We have the rules in place. I think one of the speakers said staying neutral is a good way to go and trust people to do the right thing. I think our students need to encourage, I mean our teachers need to encourage students to have relationships and have conversations with their parents, but also to provide a safe and nurturing environment. Certainly, they are caring and compassionate when it comes to our students, and I appreciate that about them. I think I've spoken long enough. Thank you.

We can go on forever listening to you, Jim. Well, thank you. Um, we'll go back to Mr. R, really quick. He had an additional comment.

I just want to say as an educator, one of the most important things that we need to provide our students is a safe environment. And it's important for us to include all of our students no matter, you know, what they look like. That's why we're always trying to improve our inclusive practices to make sure that all children are included. As a board member, I will continue to support our LGBTQIA plus community. our students and I will always support you know for the pride flag to be shown in the classrooms around campuses because it's important for us to let them know that they are safe. And just like I would protect any other student at my own school site, I will, you know, take a bullet for our students. And I'm proud of our students and I'd like you all to know me personally, love you guys. Okay? That's it for me.

When I was voted onto the board, my platforms were innovative learning environments with expanded classroom resources, preparing our students for college and the workforce, the health and safety and well-being of all students, teachers, and support staff, and safe and secure learning environments, and that has not wavered. I have and I will continue to listen to and respect all sides of the issues brought to the board. I value and I appreciate the strength in our diversity and the different perspectives it brings. This is a very tough and important discussion, one that I would suggest is broader than just a few flags in classrooms. All our children deserve to feel protective and safe while at school. This has and always will be a top priority for me, and why I am so proud that we have counselors at all our schools to help students with their mental health. And we have protocols in place that address bullying and student safety concerns, as well as the many diverse clubs on our campuses. The question here is are we creating a safe environment in which to learn for our students. Is having pride flags in a few classrooms the answer. Is having discussions during their club meetings with the experts the answer. I don't know. It's my hope that we can find some common ground on this issue and return our focus to our primary purpose which is the education of our students. After all isn't that why we're all here anyway. I really look forward to continue listening to all our school families and community members. This is a really tough.

topic You mrs. Renler 17 years ago. I sworn in on this dais and I always went on safety for the students that was always been my my platform and it was always if you looked at my signs that said just for the kids that has been my stand from day one since 2006 and My focus back then in 2006 when I was elected. was secure and safe environment for all students. At that time, it was more keeping the classroom safe from any violence, guns, and look what we have done since then. We've been able to keep our campuses secure. We got the fences up and everything. Little did I know that 17 years later, it would come down to whether a teacher or someone has a flag in their room. When we mean all, when I mean all, I mean all students. When they come to school, we are their safe space. We are there to protect them, whether it's the BSU club, whether it's MECHA club, whether it's a German club, French club, Spanish club, ASB. It's all of our students, everyone belongs, that's their belonging to in a group. I believe in protecting our school environment, a safety space for all, equity and inclusion. And that means everyone from our faculty, to our staff, to our students, to our workers, anyone who enters our campus. Thank you.

Thank you. Everybody else had wonderful comments and I didn't prepare anything because I was going to speak from the heart. I understand where everyone's coming from. I understand everyone has a different perspective and a different feeling. But that's the one thing I love about not only how this district operates, but how all of you Um, went through the school system. Everyone was afforded the opportunity to freely think for yourselves, freely form your own opinions, and It's not just about pride flags. It's any flag. If someone, you know, if a teacher has a college flag in their classroom and, you know, I mean, if, you know, they went to Harvard or, you know, Stanford, it shows other people that that is an interest of theirs. If there's a flag from another country, it's, you know, it encourages conversation. And whether or not we agree with a flag here or there, isn't really something we should be imposing on each other. If I don't like a flag, I know not to talk to you. I know not to go there. I know not to interact with you. If I do like a flag, that is up to me whether I want to engage or not. But things have become so politicized lately and it's wreaking havoc on our children. It's wreaking havoc on our homes and in our own community. and I will not support anything to further cause division in our city. Um, my kids go here. Um, I live here. I work here. Um, and everybody on this board either was a parent, is a parent, um, and has an interest in this district and we only do things here for the kids. Um, we spend time here. I mean, I was stuffing. plastic sleeves the other day in a classroom because this is, you know, I love it here. And I encourage anybody that may not feel the same way to please spend some time in a classroom. You'll see what's going on in our classrooms. You'll see exactly what's happening. You'll see there's no indoctrination. You'll see that there's nothing but teachers begging students to pay attention, to stay off their phones, to please take out their AirPods because even my own child won't do that. But this is a great place. And whether you want to believe it or not, that's not for me to impose on you. But I would encourage you to please come see it yourself. We are always welcoming of community members and families and parents and grandmas and grandpas and uncles, anybody. He's the she's and the they's. It doesn't matter. You are all welcome in our schools to come and visit our students and to see exactly what this district is about. OK. I will.

So getting back to the flag in the classroom, that's the whole discussion we're supposed to be having right now. So Jim suggested we stay like Switzerland. And what will that look like to you if we stay like Switzerland?

I said we could be neutral about it. We already have, we're following what we need to follow, we're following the rules. And not have a definitive policy that Where are the other we're letting yeah, we're letting site principals and teachers and staff to make the appropriate decisions about You know what what flags are flown and all the rest of that? I mean, it's it's that kind of a thing. So I I'm not for at this point in time for Abolishing where the other's the flags. I'm and having one flag and Even though it I need to see it at the highest point and honored every day and follow the rules That's the way they're set up for patriotism I'm I'm all about that But providing safe places, if that's a symbol of the pride flag, and that's what it's being used for. I think other flags promote, like our president just said, discussions can be used in lessons. I think our kids need to be discussing these kinds of things. If a Nazi flag shows up, I'm sure there's going to be a lesson about it. We need our kids to know about the horrors and ugliness of what Nazis are about and what it did to the world, and still doing. White supremacists, all the rest of that stuff. I mean, these are learning times for our kids, and I think teachers know exactly what to do with those kinds of things. generate those discussions and have kids learn about it and have discussions at home. I mean, learning isn't just in the school. Learning begins at home, that's for sure. Home, it ends at home. That's my opinion right now. Thank you.

Does any other board member have a comment on this topic?

We're not taking any action on it right now.

OK. All right. Thank you, everyone. So we'll move on to public participation. We have one card. And it is Candy Olson. And before- you can go ahead and head up. I'm just gonna go ahead and read out the list of other, um, the emails that we received for comment tonight. Um, we have Melanie Nipstra, Annie, sorry about this, Leahy, Lori Andal, Tracy Wise, Diana H., Wendy Ingram, Sarah Calori, Janice Boyle, Carrie Tilden, Elizabeth Mead, Lee Sakowitz, Sakowitz, I am so sorry. Uh, Janet Kaunaki, Brenda G, Becca Spence DeBias, Casey Hamilton, Jack Steele, Jared DeBias, Joanne Curry, Stephanie McLean, Xavi Alonso, Josephine Swanson, David Trudeau, Erica Ruiz, Megan McLean, Eric Beckett, Adonia Carter, Margaret Aldridge, Jay Anna Beckett, Jermaine M. Miles, Renee Regalado-Kern, Jaylene Tuazon, Aricia Owen, and Jennifer Kim. All right. I apologize if I butchered your name. I'm so sorry. I'm trying to get them done quickly and I've become tongue-tied. Um, so, Kenny, when you're ready, you can go ahead and get started.

I just wanted to talk about the 212 program. And Alex and Melissa, you guys had burst out laughing when I had raised my hand last meeting. I just had a question about who was surveyed when she was saying that the feedback from all the surveying had been positive. So she answered my question. And yes, it's what I thought it was. It refers to only the teachers and staff that were surveyed. And that feedback is positive. Parents have not been surveyed about this program. In addition, contrary to what she told me, children are being turned away because I know parents in these schools, specifically Bryn Mawr, there is a very, very long waiting list for the after school program. And I said, what do you do if you can't get away from work? There's no choice. You just have to go. You have to figure it out. They have no option but to rearrange their work schedules and come and get the kids in the middle of the day. Can any of you imagine how difficult that could be to just up and leave your work at noon to go pick up your kids every week? Maybe once, right? But every week on Wednesdays. In addition, the academics are now crammed into the other days, so there are less minutes of recess and breaks for the kids. How about a smarter idea? Re-negotiate your union contracts to enforce mandatory meeting days, like every other employer in the world. I have never left my job for education, communication, or collaboration. I am required to come in on my day off to do this, just as every other person I know. You have the tail wagging the dog so hard here it's not even funny. The parents don't seem to matter, the students don't seem to matter, it's just what the teacher's union want. Well, I say it's time to take back control of your schools, do what's right for working families and children. This program is junk, the teachers can meet after school once a week just like the rest of society has to do when their employer requests it. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, that is the end of public comments. We will now move on to the superintendent's comments.

I just want to say thank you to everybody who participated in tonight's meeting. We appreciate the time that you take and the passion that you show. Much appreciated.

Okay, and we are going to go on to board member comments if anybody has anything additional. This is around there.

I just want to thank the team at Lagonia for inviting me to their resource fair. It was a fabulous day. It was really fun. And what else did I do? I think I went to Franklin and saw a Friday a couple weeks ago, one of their assemblies. That was really fun. And I hope to go this week or next week to another one. And tomorrow night is the resource fair district-wide at RHS. So if you guys don't have anything to do tomorrow night, um, 4.30 to 6.30, I believe. And it's not- at Clock- on the lawn by Clock Auditorium, it's a lot of fun. You'll get- find a lot of, um, resources for your kids there and, um, there's music and it'll be fun. So looking forward to that. And that's all.

Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Rundler. Mr. Barr.

This past weekend I attended the Citrus Valley High School Classic Band Competition. They did an amazing job. It's always great to see the bands perform. My hats off to Mr. Miners, Austin Miners. Being a band teacher and putting the amount of hours into leading the students and being there with them like late hours from three o'clock to nine o'clock And then on Saturday, and having this opportunity for our students to compete at Citrus Valley High School in their own neighborhood, because many times the competitions are 30, 40 miles away. I just have so much respect for Mr. Minors and everything that he does. And it's not an easy it's not an easy job to develop a a band program. So great job. Mr. Miners And then just to mention the 212 minimum days programs normally the Minutes are are not taken away from recess time. They are added to to the monday tuesday thursday friday and to extend the day so that way teachers are able to collaborate and discuss and talk because a lot of times there's not enough time during during the day But creating this schedule will not only help improve teacher team building and collaboration, but it's also going to be a benefit to the students in the long run. So just understand if you look at the minutes and you compare the recess times, you will see that the recess times are not really cut. They the students end up having their that their play time And that's all I have for tonight Thank You mr. Brown mr. Neil Michelle

You and the superintendent, we were at the Lagonia Resource Fair. Yeah. Yeah, it was very fun. It was well attended. And the superintendent and I had a date night at a play by Citrus Valley High School. Elephants and Piggies, do you remember that? I do remember that. Wow. That was a great show. And they did it at the library.

The contemporary club.

Temporary club, there we go. And the place was as a packed house. So, you know, Lanavia and, oh, all of a sudden her name escapes me, the choir teacher. Anaya, thank you. Yeah, Kim. Marvelous teachers, thank you so much for doing that. They did a great job. And so did the students, that was awesome. Uh, also, um, I met with the high school principals, colleagues, and they're, uh, taking care of our student trustee vacancies. So they're putting that together and we hope to have our student trustees in place, uh, starting November. Okay. That'll be enough tonight. Thank you.

Thank you, Jim. Patty? I want to say thank you to those who participated in the Believe Walk a couple weeks ago. Our own superintendent was there, so thank you. Also was our RTA president, Ms. Sue App. Thank you for being there. And then our local high schools were all represented with our chair and our band out there, so thank you very much on supporting that. Sabine was there too. I didn't see you, but Sabine was there too. Great, thank you. And all of you who were there. We talked about flags, pink ribbon flag in the house. I mean, there's lots of things that we can do to support. Tenant football games with some of you there, such as Valley Homecoming, it was very nice. And I look forward to Redlands High School as an alumni coming into the RHS Homecoming this Friday. And I just wanted to say a personal thank you for everything you've done, Mr. Gugasberg. I know one foot's already out the door, you're already over there in the corner. So he's ready to run, but I know this, you know, it was a second career when you came here and you have given your heart and soul to this organization, so I thank you. You will truly be missed, but you're at least here through December, so thank you.

Thank you very much. Okay. I only have one quick little thing and it's only because my daughter asked me to bring it up and I am so sorry for this, but it's her birthday, so I'm going to oblige. Um, she was walking to class today and was walking, um, through the teacher parking lot and knocked her head into a car, um, because apparently she was looking up. Um, but, uh, she just wanted me to ask you guys to please reconsider a new place for the teachers to park their cars because it hurt. Okay. All right. And with that, thank you. I just had to bring it up. You don't have to do anything about it. I just had to bring it up. It's a birthday wish. All right. Thank you everyone for attending this evening. I know it's been a long evening and I really appreciate everyone that took the time to come out here and speak. I know this is something that is very close to your hearts and we understand everybody has intense feelings about this. So that's why we wanted to give everybody the opportunity to speak tonight. Um, and with that, I will adjourn this meeting before eight o'clock, um, at 754. Thank you.