Board of Education — March 11, 2025

I'm going to call this meeting to order at 6.03. Thank you all for coming. Let's start out with the Pledge of Allegiance. Patty, would you like to lead us in the Pledge?

Please stand, 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. Is there a motion to approve the agenda with flexibility? So moved. Second. Second.

Hello. Second.

Any discussion? All right. We'll call for the vote.

Member Ayala Quintero? Aye. Member Olson? Aye. President Randler? Aye. Vice President Hollihan? Aye. Clerk Wilson?

Aye.

Motion carried. 5-0.

We're on roll call. I can do it.

Melissa Ayala Quintero. Present. Candy Olson. Present. Juan Cabral. Michelle Randler. Here. Here. Here. Eddie Hollihan. Present. Jeanette Wilson. Here.

That was my fault. In closed session, the board unanimously took action to accept the superintendent's recommendation to appoint Wendy Kores to the position of principal of Cote Middle School, effective March 12, 2025, at step four of the certificated management team salary schedule. Wendy, are you here? Do you have anybody here with you? Do you have any family with you today? Well, welcome. Welcome. Would you like to say anything?

I just want to thank everybody for the opportunity to serve Cote Middle School. I'm very excited. I'm a former Cote parent, and I'm extremely excited for the opportunity to work with the community. So thank you very much. Welcome.

In closed session, the board unanimously took action to accept the superintendent's recommendation to appoint Raul Chavez to the position of director of transportation, effective to be determined at step five of the classified management team salary schedule. Raul, are you here? Hi, do you have any family with you tonight? Hi, welcome. Would you like to say anything?

Okay.

So I just wanted to thank the board for this opportunity. I greatly appreciate the support. And so I wanted to also mention that, you know, my predecessors cannot be replaced. However, I intend to continue to build on what has already been created here at Redlands Unified School District's Transportation Department. building upon a strong foundation oversight that has already been established. I plan to enhance our transportation department in several key areas. For my first months, I plan to learn and acclimate myself with the Reliance Unified School District, work closely and collaboratively with all educational partners, including union leadership. I plan to streamline processes while continuing to be efficient. Board, I am truly honoured to be stepping on this role and build upon the strong foundations established before me. As we navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead, my commitment is to collaborate with all educational partners, strengthen our transportation service strategies while continuing the mission of our dedicated professional employees in providing safe, efficient and effective transportation services to our precious cargo. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Welcome. In regard to the public employee discipline dismissal release, part of the agenda I would like to report on the following. In closed session, the board unanimously took action to release and reassign employee number 2024-2506 effective in the 2025-26 school year. The board directed the superintendent or his designee to send out appropriate legal notices. In closed session, the board also unanimously took action to release and reassign employee number 2024-25-07, effective the 2025-2026 school year, and the board directed the superintendent or his designee to send out appropriate legal notices. In closed session, the board unanimously took action to release and reassign employee number 2024-25-08, effective the 2025-26 school year. The board directed the superintendent or his designee to send out appropriate legal notices. In closed session, the board unanimously took action to release and reassign employee number 2024-25-09, effective the 2025-26 school year. The board directed the superintendent or his designee to send out the appropriate legal notices. Is there a motion to approve the minutes of February 11, 2025, Board of Education regular meeting?

So moved.

Any discussion?

I'll call for the vote. Board Member Ayala-Quintero?

Aye.

Board Member Olson? Aye. President Rendler? Aye. Vice President Hollihan? Aye. Clerk Wilson?

Aye.

Motion carried, 5-0.

Tonight we don't have a student trustee, so we'll move on to association reports. Do we have any reports from any of the associations? Redlands Teacher Association, Steve Caperton, welcome.

tonight by thanking the bargaining teams for RTA, RESPA, and the district. We are currently working diligently on next year's contract proposals and the impacts of proposed board policies and continuing our ongoing work with the rollout of inclusion. In furtherance of our work on inclusion, RTA has visited 23 school sites, spoken with hundreds of teachers, and sent out a survey to all certificated staff members. The final results of this survey will be shared with the district and While the survey is still open, our preliminary data and in-person conversations compel me to speak to this board tonight. Our members believe in the potential of inclusion. However, its success is being held back by a lack of resources. Specifically, we need increased para support. We need paras for the whole day in every inclusion class. We need consistent staffing and proper training so the paras can provide real assistance. Our consistent lack of paraprofessionals is hampering this necessary support. Redlands Unified has been down by at least 150 paras for the last three years. This has impacted every classroom and program that utilizes paras support, and the teacher's message is clear and unequivocal. A solution is needed now. As a special education classroom teacher with over 20 years of classroom experience, I want to speak to the value that paraprofessionals bring to the classroom. PARAs are crucial in supporting students and teachers. Their presence significantly enhances classroom management, academic and student support, and student engagement. PARAs are the extra set of eyes and ears in the room. They allow us to work with small groups, to work with individuals, and help maintain classroom behaviors and help students when we are busy helping other students. They are a force multiplier that makes an impossible job merely difficult. Pairs are essential to the success of conclusion classrooms, acting as a second teacher, a behavior manager, and a student advocate. I know this is not an easy task. It will require creative solutions and reprioritization of resources. I encourage this board to increase its effort and dedicate resources to meet this need. Thank you.

Thank you, Steve. And Liz wasn't going to be here, but is there somebody that was going to talk for RESPA? Okay. We'll move on to Redlands Administrative Professional, I mean, Personnel Association. Kim, Liam?

Good evening, Board and Superintendent Cabral and Deputy Assistant Superintendent Hill. Thank you for this opportunity to share what RAPA is working on this evening. First off, we had an excellent turnout from our classified and certificated management team who attended the AXA Women's Leadership Network, Leading Forward, Women Educating and Inspiring Each Other. The event was held on March 3rd, and the guest speaker was Trudy Arriaga. who is a retired superintendent from Ventura Unified School District. And the message of women belonging in leadership roles within education and supporting one another in that journey was incredibly inspiring. We had the most attendance from any district in our Region 10, so that was great. And all participants also walked away with a free copy of her book, Leading While Female. RAPA also sponsored our second management breakfast of the year on Thursday, March 6th here in the boardroom. And we had over 50 of our, again, classified and certificated management team in attendance. It was great to see the combination of both certificated and classified together. Our very own Redlands High School resource officer, Richard McLaughlin, did an excellent job of sharing the ins and outs of social media with us and how we can respond within the school setting as well as some tips for supporting our students and families. Officer McLaughlin also shared the great online resource tool of NetSmarts, which many of us were excited to share and take back to our school sites to share with our families through events like Coffee with the Principal. Our management team also collected gently used prom attire to donate to Angel's Closet in anticipation of the upcoming prom season for our high schools. And then finally, many of our management team and individual sites participated in the Run Through Redlands, which is always a great community event, and we are very much looking forward to supporting Redlands Educational Partnership Foundation in the Harlem Wizards basketball game fundraiser that's upcoming. I'm not sure I'll be out on the court, as that would be a show and pretty comical as of itself, but I will certainly be there to support and cheer on our team. So thank you.

Moving on to board committee reports. Does anybody have anything to report?

I do. CRYROP for last month's meeting. Citrus Valley High School culinary program collaborated with chemistry classes in a week of cross-curricular lessons and class swapping on the science of baking. So they kind of swapped, including activities on chemical reactions and cooking methods and conversions. So they were sharing. Citrus Valley High School virtual enterprise teams attended the two-day breakfast steak competition. And then we had... Redlands High School Auto Technician Program hosted a guest speaker from Rio Hondo's College's Tesla Start Program. And it's a program that includes a 16-week course on industry certification, paid internship, operations with Tesla Motors. And then Redlands East Valley Digital Video Production II class produced a weekly newscast at REV, had the opportunity to tour KESQ News Channel 3, the station where Mr. Webster previously worked as a director and assistance operator manager. And during the visit, they toured the studio and got a behind-the-scenes look at how the new cast is produced. And our meeting is tomorrow with our next one. Do you have anything?

I just wanted to share, on behalf of the Redlands Compact Steering Committee, thank you to some district employees that assisted with the mock interviews. And that was at 7.30 in the morning, so it was very, very much appreciated. Sonia Belingit, Jamie Kortz, Denise Fee, and Christy Garcia. And it's hard to get enough people to do all the mock interviews at 7.30 in the morning, so we really appreciated that.

Candy, do you have anything?

Yes, so I attended my first rep meeting, and I was very impressed by how much effort and interest these individuals have to help raise funds for our schools, and also very thankful and grateful also that so many people are willing to volunteer their time trying to think of creative ways and funding to help our students. So in the last meeting, we received a $500 recognition grant from the Redlands Community Foundation, which was wonderful. And also found that the turkey trot this year had more participants than we've ever had. We had 3,800 trotters this year. So I guess we are increasing in popularity on that event, which is fantastic. I heard some people showed up and couldn't even get... They had no more tags or ability to register more people. It was at capacity. And coming up, we have the Harlem Wizards, which was already mentioned. It's April 25, and it just sounds like a total blast. Like, what a great fundraiser that it would be fun to attend. And I can't wait to go. It'll be the 25th. We need sponsors and attendees, so... If you have a business who might be wanting to sponsor, there's different levels of sponsorship. You can reach out to me, and I can send you that letter if you know of some business that might be interested or dental office or whatnot. And the next meeting will be tomorrow night, so I'll give you an update on that later. Melissa, do you have anything? No.

Okay. Okay. Next, we will have the superintendent report. Mr. Cabral. Okay.

That sting, it's like a quinceañera. Si, si.

Okay, I have the pleasure of introducing some of the best of the best. Every year, San Bernardino County asks for our nominations for Teacher of the Year and Classified Employee of the Year. And what we want to do this evening is recognize our selection. How are they selected? They were selected because they are the best in Redlands Unified School District with respect to teaching and classified employment. Our first person that we want to honor and we're going to ask to come up is Ms. Kristen Mariani. If I could have you come across this way and we're going to, first of all.

Thank you so much.

Why was she selected? A couple of things about her. Shining example of what it means to be an educator. Fosters a warm, nurturing learning environment that sets the foundation for students' educational journeys. Her principal says that she simply is the best. Her kids love her. Her community loves her. Her parents love her. Thank you for doing such an awesome job for our school community. If you could stay over here, we're going to take pictures for my 10 followers. Our Classified Employee of the Year, who is our nominee for the county, is Liz King. Ms. King works as the Data Control Clerk in our Special Services Department. She's played an essential role in ensuring our schools and programs run efficiently. And for 18 years, Liz is a prime example of that dedication. I would go, so special services on this side, we're across the street. I would come across the street and always, when I do, she is so welcoming and does such a wonderful job. She's always hard at work, too. We very much appreciate the service you provide for us. Congratulations. If I could have the board join me in a picture.

Ready in one, two.

And I have one more recognition that we'd like to. So we also get asked to nominate, the county asks us to nominate a group, a partner who we would consider to be an educational medal of honor or it would be an honor to support. Somebody that we think has not only exceeded expectations for our students, but they are volunteers in the community who do so much. We've already talked about them a little bit. There's a basketball game coming up, Harlem Wizards. I'm actually going to play this year. Haven't played since I sat the bench in JV basketball. So we'll see how it goes. But please help me in honoring... REP, our Redlands Educational Partnership. We have representatives from REP, Jennifer Moore is the president, Eileen Sanborn, Linda McLeod, Jenny Miner, David Heiss, Carolyn Bradshaw, and Donna West. Thank you. I'm going to have you come over here. Their work provides grants for our teachers so that they can buy supplies in their classrooms and provide the very best for our students. They also raise money so that our principals can also spend some money on our students. It's money that is above and beyond what our budgets allow, and it really does provide for opportunities that our students wouldn't have without their support. We very much appreciate it. And we're joking about the Holland Wizards, but that's one of their biggest fundraisers. It's at Rev, what's the date? April 25th, everybody's invited. Come out and support our Rep Foundation. Thank you so much and congratulations. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. That concludes my report for this evening.

Thank you, Mr. Cabral. We will now move on to presentation tonight. We will start with True North Drug Prevention Program. Dr. Lachaud, are you here? Are they here? I don't either. Jessica, are you here? Nope. Maybe they're outside. Okay, so we'll just go on to the second interim financial report. Oh, he's here. He was outside. Yeah. That's not good. Hello. Hello.

Hi, thank you, Superintendent and the Board. I'm Dr. Robert Lachos. I'm a professor at California Baptist University. I've been doing drug prevention education in schools all throughout the United States, including in California and previously here in Redlands Unified. I also have three successful children of all products of Citrus Valley. So we received a grant through Health East Valley, which is a nonprofit here in Redlands, and we got that grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2024. And part of that scope of work was to implement an evidence-based drug prevention program for youth in grades 6 through 12. And we decided to choose the True North program, which is a completely online program that kids can go through during normal class time where teachers will not be doing any direct instruction. In April of 2024, the District signed on a letter of support for that grant and then we subsequently received that grant. We're going to be doing this drug prevention program in two of the high schools during this first year and then see about implementing it in all of the middle school and high schools in subsequent years. We're also going to include the independent study students in the pilot project. The program itself is designed to teach kids not only information about the consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, but also give them the skills that they need when they're confronted with offers to use drugs. All of the models, the pedagogy in it, and the content is consistent with what we know that works in preventing alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs among youth. So we know that kids both locally and nationally are using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. The most prevalent drug being used by adolescents in this particular area is marijuana, although we are seeing an increase in other legal drugs, including fentanyl. This particular program was developed by Dr. Kim Clark, and it's aimed at grades 6 through 12. It has 14 around 30-minute lessons. Again, all of this is online to the district's learning management system, and it complies with Educational Code 51260, which requires schools in California to conduct alcohol and drug prevention education in secondary schools. So we know that if we can implement this program and we can successfully see whether or not the program can actually reduce alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among students, this is a much better way in doing it because it alleviates the costs associated with teacher training and also the substantial cost of student materials. One of the other things we'll be doing during the year one is conducting an evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the program. We're going to be doing this using our grant funding, and it will be at no cost to the school district itself. So we plan on identifying the high schools that will be implementing the program as well as the independent study program. We'll have teachers give us kind of some feedback during a focus group after all the kids have gone through the particular program. And we'll be collecting anonymous pre and post surveys with the youth before the curriculum begins and after the curriculum begins as well. So this is a little bit what the study is going to look like. Some kids are going to be going through the program in April, May of this year. And then we'll have a comparison group that won't get the program until next year. And again, we'll be collecting pre- and post-test surveys as well. So all of the information that we collect from students is anonymous. We have no way of linking their responses to the survey to any identifying information that they have. This is required not only by the State Department of Education, but also by the guidelines that I have to comply with through the American Psychological Association. Parent guardian consent is required both by federal and state law for kids to participate in the survey, and we will provide consent forms to the participating schools, and those will be collected by their teachers. So the only thing we're asking the district to do is give us access to the teachers and the students and access to the learning management system so we can place the curriculum on that particular LMS. And then we're going to ask the teachers to ask the students to return the consent forms before we begin implementation of the program. And then again, ask the teachers to participate in the focus group to get their feedback as well. I'll be happy to give a report at the completion of implementation of the program to the board or to the district, both in writing and at any school board meetings. And if we present any of this information to any professional conferences, there'll be no reference to any student names, teacher names, or even school site names. Any questions for me?

I don't have a question, but thank you. Do we know which high schools will have this? Not yet. Okay.

I will comment that I've met with Dr. Robert a couple of times, a handful of times actually, and I'm really impressed with what they can provide as far as education for our students. And so I'm pretty excited about this opportunity that comes through a grant that we wrote a letter of support for last school year. And so we're happy to see that the grant was given. and we hope to have this program be successful.

I have a question. Do you have any data from previous schools or prior sites that you've implemented this and serving kids beforehand and afterwards? No.

Of this particular program? Yes. No, this program has been being developed in the last three, three and a half years. So this is the first evaluation study of the particular program. But it's based upon all of the literature regarding what works and what doesn't work in drug prevention for secondary students.

So we'll be obtaining data via our program here? Yes. That's cool. Okay, great. I look forward to that. Thank you. We desperately need this, so that's great. Anybody else? Thank you, Robert. Thank you.

Good night. Thank you, sir.

Now we're on to the second interim financial report. Kirtan Shah.

Good evening, Board, Superintendent Cabral, and the Cabinet. Thank you for this opportunity to present our second interim report. You guys can hear me, right?

Took a little loud.

How about now? There you go. All right. My stuff is boring, so it's okay. No, just kidding. It worked out for this. So this is our 24-25 second interim report. So a little bit of background on interims, since we have two new board members. It's required to be presented to the board for approval by March 15th. It identifies changes to projected budget since the first interim was presented back in December, and any revision through governor's budget, which was in January 2025. And it also identifies actual restricted and unrestricted expenditures through January 31, 2025. So the first year, as of 10-31, this is as of 1-31.

Next.

So this is a little familiar from December. This is our chart of enrollment and average daily attendance. As you can see, for the last five years, enrollment has been dropping and average daily attendance, ADA, has also been dropping. And current year, 24-25, is no different. Our enrollment is 19,181. down from 19,553, which is a big drop. And our ADA, although our ADA percentage is up, last year it was 93.3%. This year we're at 94.4%. So there's some positive news there. That means our kids are in school more than not. Now, the impact of this slide is here. So last year, 23-24, our LCFF funding, which is local control funding formula, is our main source of funding. Last year was $262 million. Based on our enrollment drop, ADA drop, and also our UPP, which is unduplicated pupil count, we're looking at about just under $6 million in funding loss to $256 million.

Next.

This is a little general fund comparison from 23-24 actual to adopted budget to second interim. As you can see from adopted budget, our revenues have gone up, so has our expenditures. And looking at this one, we're expecting to end our year with $81 million in fund balance. This is a little breakdown of our $81 million in fund balance. As you can see, revolving cash, $50,000. Nonspendables, $2.2 million. Committed, $24.4 million. We have a breakdown of commitments on the next slide. Legally restricted, $41 million. Reserve for economic uncertainty, which is required by law, $11 million. And our lottery, which is assigned, $2.6 million. and $24 million of commitment. So we have $6.2 million in textbook adoption and $18 million in increased pension costs. Okay, now this is a little background, a little synopsis of our assumptions that we used for 25-26 and 26-27. So LCFF, which are just based on our COLA, this year, or next year, it's expected to be a 2.43%. For 26-27, it's 3.52%. Our PERS, which is our classified employees, their retirement contribution from the district, it's at 27.4%. And 19.1% for STERS, which is our certificated. This also includes our step and column adjustment, utilities, our insurance, which always goes up 10% to 15% each year, and any program changes. If any grant finished, any money that ran out, we're removing from the budget in the next years. This is analysis of our actual from last year, second interim this year, and our projected budget for next two fiscal years. And as you can see, our revenues dip a little next year because of the COLA, but then it goes up again, the 26-27, because the COLA goes up. But as you can see, our expenditures, they don't go down as much. So we're still in deficit spending. So we're keeping an eye on our expenditures, staffing, everything, just making sure we're staying within our guidelines. Now, there's three possible certifications. Positive, qualified, negative. Positive, as the name says, it's good news. That means we're able to meet our obligations for current year and next two years. Qualified and negative, this means we are not able to. And I'm happy to report administration is recommending positive certification. Let's see. Next steps. So in May 2025, we'll have one more look at governor's budget, which is called May revision. We'll adjust our budget and next couple years of data based on that. And then in June, I'll be back here again asking you to adopt our 25-26 budget based on the governor's information and other things. Any questions for me?

Thank you, Kirtan. Thank you very much.

Absolutely.

Now's the time that any member of the public may address the board on any agenda or consent item listed for consideration, provided the person submits a completed registration card to address the board form to the clerk of the board or his or her designee prior to the time the chairperson calls the item for the board's consideration. This is not meant to be a debating period. Comments and concerns regarding agenda or consent items will be heard, but any issue related 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 his or her name. In the interest of facilitating the business of the board, the chairperson shall establish the amount of time each speaker may use to address the board prior to the first speaker. So for tonight, it's one and a half minutes. Unless the chairperson or majority of the board determines that a different time limit is appropriate. Clerk Wilson, do you have any speaker cards for those who will be speaking on any agenda or consent items?

Yes. First up, we have Valerie Tabor.

But I need to set the clock.

Okay, thank you. Valerie?

Hi, my name is Valerie Tabor. I live in Area 5, and I have a student in the district. My questions pertain to the policies that are on the agenda for approval today. The revisions allow for principals to allow sex offenders on campus with proper notification and things like that, as well as changes to TB testing that it does not necessarily say it's mandatory anymore. It seemed like that phrase was cut. And so I would like more clarification, and I think the community deserves a little clarification on what about the revisions brings it in line with CSBA guidelines as well as Ed Code because those changes are concerning. TB is a very serious disease, and while I understand that we may have sex offenders that have students or we may have families come in all sorts of makeups and sizes, but I would like clarification on why those changes are being made. Thank you. Thank you, Valerie.

Next up we have Greg Britton.

I put in three blue cards. Should I address all three items now? Okay. One of the advantages or disadvantages of Candy Olson and Jeanette Wilson being elected was I'm actually now doing what I should be doing as a citizen, looking at your agenda and seeing what you're up to. And a few items caught my attention. One is a subcontract of educational services to the Boys and Girls Clubs. What are they teaching? What are they doing in their summer camps? Who's doing it? Is it being monitored? What resources and quote, quote, resources and quote necessities are they providing? And I suggest that unless there are good answers to those questions, you shouldn't be approving another four and a half million dollars of taxpayer money to them until you have those answers. My next item is the, there's several items on reading instruction for teachers. Why do teachers need to be taught how to teach reading? How is it any different than what they're doing now? Are you monitoring the effectiveness of this reading instruction to teachers? Are the students now learning reading better? I don't know, but we should find out. Now let's come back to the discipline issue. You have these very vague descriptions of student misconduct. There's no way that a member of the public Other parents, employees of the district could know whether appropriate and fair discipline is being administered. So you should provide us with more information. Thank you.

Thank you, Greg.

We will now continue with the superintendent's recommendations. First, we have consent items under business services. Mr. Hill, do you have any changes or additions?

No, I don't. Thank you, President.

Is there a motion to approve item 13A, consent items B through T? Approval. Second. Any discussion?

Yes, just happy to see the rev pool getting replaced.

I'll call for the vote.

Board Member Ayala-Quintero. Aye. Board Member Olson. Aye. President Rendler. Aye. Vice President Hollihan. Aye. Clerk Wilson.

Aye.

Motion carried, 5-0.

Moving on to action items under business services. Mr. Hill, do you have any changes or additions? Thank you. Approve and certify the second interim financial report, H-251, per Assembly Bill 1200 and Education Code 35035G. Is there a motion?

I'll move approval since Mr. Curtin did such a great job in presenting. Second. Any discussion?

I'll call for the vote. Member Ayala-Quintero?

Aye.

Board Member Olsen?

Aye.

President Rendler? Aye. Vice President Hollihan? Aye. Clerk Wilson?

Aye.

Motion carried, 5-0.

Adopt resolution number 34 for 2024-2025, acknowledgement of due diligence and authorization to commit funds indicating there will be projected reserves available in the general fund as of March 11, 2025. Is there a motion? Any discussion? Call for the vote.

Board Member Ayala-Quintero?

Aye.

Board Member Olson? Aye. President Redler? Aye. Vice President Hollihan?

Aye.

Clerk Wilson?

Aye.

Motion carried, 5-0.

Approved 2024-2025 Redlands Unified School District Transportation Plan. Is there a motion?

So moved.

I'll second.

Any discussion?

I'll call for the vote.

Board Member Ayala-Quintero. Aye. Board Member Olson. Aye. President Rendler. Aye. Vice President Hollihan. Aye. Clerk Wilson.

Aye.

Motion carried. Five-0.

Approve the 2025-2026 Board of Education meeting dates. Do we have a motion? So moved. Second.

Second.

Any discussion?

I have a discussion about February 25th is a Wednesday.

Yes, it should state February 24th.

Can we strike that?

Yeah, we can make that change on it as a typo. Okay.

And I have a question. We only have one workshop scheduled. Can we schedule one at any time, change one of those meetings to a workshop if we need to?

actually that was going to be my comment I'd actually like to see the second meeting especially the ones that we're adding being changed to workshops especially when we're having closed session or when we're having discussions about you know either policies or anything else in the district I think it would be beneficial that we use that time just so we can all work together a little bit better and But I would like to see those be workshops rather than regularly scheduled meetings. And if we're going to schedule a workshop, we're going to add it on top of that. You're saying every... Every month be a workshop and a board meeting.

Okay. Anybody have any comment on that?

I think we should leave it as board meetings. And if the need arises, then we can discuss it and collaborate and take a consensus to change one of them as we need to a workshop. Do that change a regular meeting to a workshop?

a workshop is a board meeting so you can still conduct business at a workshop the difference would be that the board would know ahead of time that we have a topic that maybe we're going to work through workshop through and so there would be a concerted effort to have collaboration amongst the board for that meeting which would make it the workshop but you can still conduct business you can still have closed session you can still have other items that you would want to take action on which is why I think we should leave it as a workshop meeting but

And if there's nothing to do, then it's just a regular meeting.

I would imagine so, yeah. But if there's something that we need to get together to address, we have the workshop already scheduled.

That's why I was asking if we could turn it into a workshop if we needed to, like the week before or whatever.

What I'm saying is if it was a workshop first, we wouldn't need to change anything.

To clarify, if we publicize an agenda and it says regular board meeting, then the expectation is that that date be a regular public meeting, right? But if the approved calendar says that this meeting is a workshop, then the public knows that it's likely going to be a workshop. Could it be changed to a regular meeting? Yes. Could you still conduct business in a workshop? Yes.

So maybe every other month we could turn it into a workshop? What do you think about that?

The only thought I am having, and I could be wrong, but it seemed like quite a few parents, when we talked about our calendar before, wanted to know advance notice of meetings.

Dates are still scheduled. The dates aren't changing. It's just every other is a board meeting. Every other is a workshop.

At the same time? You can conduct both. So it would be at the same time? So I don't see what difference does it make.

Three other months? Is that what you suggested? Yeah. Sure. I'm fine with that.

Okay. Is everybody okay with that?

I don't know that we're agreeing on the same thing. Everybody has to clarify it, but then we have to have a motion for that new, all of those changes to be, there needs to be a motion for that before it can get approved.

So I make a motion. I'm going to retake my motion back then, and someone else can call it.

Somebody needs to clarify how we want it to look.

What I'm asking for is that each month we have one workshop, which can turn itself into a regular board meeting. One workshop, one regular board meeting for the new calendar. That's what my motion is for. Okay.

All right, so that's the motion. Is there a second?

So I have a question. With the little asterisks that are on there, so I always thought there were proposed meeting workshops, three. So the December one that we had, it's the only one that we had.

Yes. Would be for at least when there's two meetings in a month, which is almost every month except for, I think, two, one of the meetings would be designated as a workshop. That's what I'm hearing. So then the calendar would look exactly the same as it does now, except February 25th would say February 24th. And then the second meeting, where there's two meetings, would be a workshop. So there'd be an asterisk in each of those.

Oh, can you bring it back then? And we could do it on the 21st meeting?

We could, or we could accept those changes here on the dais, get a first, get a second, and then get an approval.

So the motion is to every other meeting being a workshop, or every second meeting of each month be a workshop meeting with the potential to be turned into a regular meeting. Do we have a second?

I'll second that.

Any discussion? Clarify the dates.

Do we have a copy of the calendar, Consuelo? I just want to make sure we're right.

Yeah, I'm going to show you one right there.

so to clarify there'd be a meeting on July 8th workshop on July 22nd meeting on August 5th workshop on August 19th September 9th regular meeting September 23rd workshop October 14th regular meeting October 28th workshop November 12th meeting no additional meeting in November December 2nd, technically what we're talking about now would be regular meeting. December 9th would be a workshop.

But that's our organization meeting.

That's okay. We can still do that at a... 2026, January 13th, regular meeting. January 27th, workshop. February 10th, regular meeting. February 24th, workshop. March 10th, regular meeting. March 24th, workshop. April 14th, regular meeting. April 28th, workshop. May 12th, regular meeting. No additional meeting in May. June 9th, regular meeting. June 23rd, workshop. It would go down as proposed meeting slash workshop, which means it would be meeting slash workshop.

A lot of workshops. How come June 23rd is folded?

It's the last meeting. Oh, woo-hoo. Yeah, the last meeting of that year.

Okay, we'll call for the vote. Any more discussion first? Are we good? Okay, we'll call for the vote.

Board Member Ayala-Quintero? Aye. Board Member Olsen? Aye. President Redler? Aye. Vice President Hollihan? Aye. Clerk Wilson? Aye. Motion carried, 5-0.

Okay, moving on to consent items under educational services. Mrs. Buckmiller, do you have any changes or additions?

No changes or additions. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there a motion to approve items 15, consent items A and B? Approved.

Move to approve.

Do we have a second?

Second.

Any discussion?

I just want to wish the Redlands High School Mock Team, Blue Team, all the best. And we're proud of you. They leave on Thursday to the 16th. Very proud. Best of luck.

Also, I just wanted to say thank you for having those in early.

Improvements.

Concur.

Yes.

We'll call for the vote.

Board Member Ayala Quintero. Aye. Board Member Olson. Aye.

President Rendler. Aye.

Vice President Hollihan. Aye. Clerk Wilson. Aye. Motion carried, 5-0.

Moving on to educational services action items. We'll go ahead and take items 16A through 16J together. Is there a motion to take action items 16A through 16J?

So moved.

Second.

I am actually going to usually do the expulsions separate and then, but no.

Oh, the true north.

Okay. I'm going to abstain from J as I'm a member of that board, so I will abstain from that. But any more discussion on anything? All right. We'll call for the vote. True North. Call for the vote.

Board Member Ayala Quintero. I believe there was still discussion.

You're a member of the True North?

The Healthy East Valley Coalition. Oh. Which is putting this on.

It's funding it. Is that right?

They got a grant. Well, they got a grant.

Oh, they wrote for a grant and received it. Oh, great. That's great. So we're doing them all together or in this chunk? All right. I'm good. Okay. I'll call for the vote.

Board Member Ayala Quintero. Aye. Board Member Olson. Aye. Vice President Rendler.

Aye with abstaining from J.

Vice President Hollihan. Aye. Clerk Wilson.

Aye.

Motion carried. 4-0. I mean, yeah, 4 yes, 4 ayes, 1 abstain on item J. And motion carried.

Moving on to consent items under human resources. Mrs. Bruick, do you have any changes or additions? No changes or additions. Thank you. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve item 17A, consent items B through AF?

I will move approval, and I'm going to abstain on item H, which will be the last one, as that will be my sister resigning after 30.

Retiring. Don't say retiring.

Well, retiring after 30-some years, so that will be the last time.

Any discussion?

I'll second that.

I'll call for the vote.

Can you repeat which one you're abstaining from? H. H. President Hollihan. Board Member Ayala-Quintero. Aye. Board Member Olson. Aye. President Rendler. Aye. Vice President Hollihan. Aye. Clerk Wilson. Aye.

I'm sorry, I had a question. Can I still ask that? Oh, sure. For Lisa, on AE, it states employment of volunteer athletic team coaches.

Sorry, what was your question? Pardon?

It states employment of volunteer athletic coaches.

Are they... Volunteer walk-on coaches.

Oh, okay. So they are...

for the vote? Oh, we already did. Sorry. Aye.

Motion carried 5-0 with an abstention from Vice President Hollihan on item H. Moving on to human resources action items.

Mrs. Bruick, do you have any changes or additions tonight? I do not.

Thank you. Thank you.

Classified. Establish position and approve job description for Child Nutrition Services Inventory and Purchasing Clerk at range 25 of the classified salary schedule and 12 months of the classified work year calendar effective March 12, 2025. Do we have a motion?

Move approval. Second.

Thank you. Any discussion?

Call for the vote. Member Ayala-Quintero? Aye. Board Member Olsen? Aye. President Rendler? Aye. Vice President Hollihan? Aye. Clerk Wilson?

Aye.

Motion carried, 5-0.

Okay, now we're going to take items 18B through 18D.

Is there a motion? I have a lot of discussion.

We can't do them separately? We could.

Yes.

Yeah, we can. Okay. We'll take 18B first.

Okay. That's the volunteer assistance? Yes.

Just a point of order. Make sure that we have a motion, a second, and then we can discuss.

Do we have a motion? So moved. Do we have a motion? Who did it? Melissa. Do I have a second? Just did. Sorry. Candy was first. Okay. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Got it. Okay, now.

Oh, you said Melissa.

Oh, do we have a second? Second. Okay. Now discussion. Now you can ask your questions.

Okay, so first of all, I'm assuming how it's titled at the top, it's a new regulation? I definitely think there's a lot of wording that needs to be revised. I had concerns about number three. I think it should be made very clear that they're not supervising students alone, that there are other staff with them. on volunteer facilities projects. It seems like the volunteers facilities projects are quite in depth that would be allowed leading to the possibility of injuries and further expense in that regard. Those are a couple of my concerns.

Volunteers actually have opportunities to be alone with students in several different ways, which is why it is important that they be onboarded with full background checks that include fingerprinting. one of the main ways that they're alone with students is when they volunteer to do any kind of field trip typically on a field trip you're assigned specific students and so your group of students you're in charge of them for that day for example and you're going to be walking around with those students all day taking them to that is why it's important that we have background checks for all the volunteers which this policy also speaks to

So down below under registered sex offenders, it says the superintendent may, I don't know, I just don't think it's worded very well. It says that the principal may grant a registered sex offender to come into the school building or upon school grounds to volunteer and could be alone with students, but every single parent would have to be notified

I'm going to ask Dr. Wilson actually to help with an explanation on that piece.

So this actually goes to parental rights. Even though someone would be a registered sex offender, we can't deny their parental rights. However, under very strict guidelines, they can be permitted onto campus, usually supervised by the administrator, and they have to notify the administrator in advance of that visit.

So you're saying it applies to parents?

Yes, it does.

Because it says who is not the parent or guardian. The principal may grant a registered sex offender who is not the parent guardian of a student at the school permission to come into a school building or upon school grounds to volunteer. Okay.

It's under very strict guidelines, and I will actually get some clarification on that for you if it helps.

I think that my opinion is this needs to be scrapped until later because there's no, until we find out if there's some law or some condition or situation where we may need to have this in place. I don't see that any registered sex offenders should be allowed on our school campus.

I would entertain a motion to pull this.

Okay, we can do that. I just want to, if we find out that this is something that we have to do, I do want the language changed. I don't want it to be the principal has the authority. I would maybe the principal can petition the superintendent. But I think that there needs to be a higher level of supervision with this. And if it's something that we have to do, I would rather see some of the language changed. And we can have that discussion when it comes up. But for now, I'm going to second the motion to pull.

Is there a second? Oh, she did? Okay. Any more discussion? Okay. Call for the vote.

The vote will be to pull the item. If we don't vote on it, then it doesn't go into effect, so I think you're right. We can just pull it and bring it back later.

Okay. Okay. All right. So actually, we should say, everybody say nay.

Can I have a question about this, though, regarding facilities? Are we allowing volunteers to work on wall roof penetration, drilling, nailing, installation of carpet, sprinkler systems? I mean, this just doesn't sound like we should. Yeah, it's the same policy.

Electrical.

Electrical work. It sounds like we're set up for injuries or we don't have workers' comp on volunteers, right?

The simple answer is yes, there have been examples of volunteers doing some of that work. I'm thinking of like a spouse and or a friend of the school who's coming in and volunteering time to do a project for PTA or something, and it could include some of those items. Maybe not specific to all of those, but I can think of an example where some construction, some simple construction was being done.

Do they sign any type of waiver for injury?

Typically, yes. But I'm not going to say it's guaranteed that every time they do.

We don't have workers' comp on volunteers, correct?

Anybody that goes on our campus and gets injured, there's some liability that we would.

Right, not workers' comp, but insurance.

Okay, now we're going to take item 18C. Do I have a motion?

First reading I approve. Motion to approve.

Is there a second?

So if we approve the first reading, we can still ask for some possible changes? Okay, I'll second.

Is there a second? Oh, I'm sorry. All those in favor? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm like on the wrong page. I'm all mixed up. Okay, any discussion on this one?

I think it was pretty poorly written. To be honest, it's a little confusing under the criminal record check portion and then goes down to has all these sections and then the last one is the California Ed Code notwithstanding subdivision B, which I can't find the subdivision B. I must have missed it. I don't know. Maybe someone else can point it out to me. The governing board may employ a person convicted of consult substance offenses in the position required and It was just a little confusing how it goes down the list, and then it says this, notwithstanding Section B, and I don't see Subdivision B. Do you? Am I missing it? Can you help me?

What paragraph is that?

It's like the second to the last paragraph on the first page of that policy.

Second sentence. B. No, I don't see a B. I don't see an A.

What that's referring to is that in instances where a certificated staff is qualified to teach because the commission on teacher credentialing has issued them a credential, which means that they have done their background, then there is no reason why a district would deny them from being able to take on a position if they qualify. Okay. The CTC is in charge of either pulling a credential or allowing a credential, and I think that's what that needs to be in there to say that if a teacher has a credential, we can't deny them if they have a background of substance abuse. We don't have to hire them, but that can't be the reason.

If they've gone through rehabilitation.

If the CTC has approved a credential for them.

I just, notwithstanding that section, I would like to know what that section is before approving the policy. Just because we don't know what notwithstanding that subdivision is. I don't know.

Understood. I need to look at it closer to get that.

You want to pull that one?

This is only the first reading, so it doesn't have to go voted. We could just let it go.

And then when are we going to talk about that next?

Next meeting. It would be back on the agenda with everything on there. Questions?

Anything that's noted tonight, we would have clarified before you get it in the second reading.

Someone will fix that?

Yeah.

Okay. So the other question I had was on the little third paragraph, it references an employee statement form, but I think normally we – make a specific reference to that form in regulation. It seems like a lot of them have that so that we know what that employee statement form says.

Is there a motion to pull it or we're just going to let it die?

Let it go. Not die. All right. So moved? Is that what we're waiting for?

What are we waiting for?

Okay, so now we're on to the third one, D. I lost my number. 18D.

Oh, that's where I saw it. The very last little paragraph.

Is there a motion to approve 18D? 18D.

Move approval to talk. A second? Second.

Okay, now we're going to have discussion.

Sorry. So this very last sentence, I knew I had seen that somewhere. It says, upon the adoption of a resolution by the board, volunteers shall be entitled to workers' comp benefits for any injury sustained. Okay. which seems like it should be on that other policy. But I guess that means only if you adopt a resolution.

Or if they're employed, if they're a volunteer walk-on, for example. Pardon? Yes.

The short answer is yes.

Okay.

We can get clarification, too, before bringing it back. This is the first reading also. Likely we're going to bring both of these back as first readings after answering those questions and modifying them.

Okay. So then do we need a motion for that one? No. Okay.

All right, this is the time that any member of the public may address the board on anything that falls under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education, provided the person submits a completed registration card to address the board form to the clerk of the board or his or her designee prior to the time the chairperson calls the board's consideration. This is not meant to be a debating period. Complaints and problems relating to policy matter 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 his or her name. In the interest of facilitating the business of the board, the chairperson shall establish an amount of time each speaker may use to address the board prior to the first speaker. And it would be no more than three minutes. Tonight we'll be doing a minute and a half, unless the chairperson or majority of the board determines that a different time limit is appropriate. Clerk Wilson, are there any public comment cards?

Yes, first up we have Daphne Hawkins.

Good evening, members of the board, superintendent and community. We come before you tonight, not just as parents, but as advocates for justice, not just for our children, but for every children who walks through the doors of Redlands Unified School District. Since moving in Redlands, our son has endured three deeply disturbing racist incidents in the last 90 days. A student handed our son a note that read, your skin is as black as your future. Another student said to my child, you should be in a comedy show because you look like a black African monkey. A class assignment introduced a racist character named Black Pete, which is deeply offensive figure that has been condemned worldwide. Our children deserve better. And let's be clear, these are not just words. These are attack on our children's dignity and their identity. Also, I will say, Madam President, Trustee Olsen, you made a commitment to put the board resolution on racism on the agenda so that we would have time to speak, and you failed to keep your word. That is a problem for me and everyone else that's in this room today. And until you do something about it within our schools for all of our children, We're going to come back. And I told you at the meeting that there will be limited time. You had a short period of time. And now it's even worse because I will escalate and continue to escalate to media and beyond and the Department of Justice until something is done.

I'm sorry. Thank you. Thank you.

Next up we have Susan Apt followed by Aya Francisco.

Good evening. My name is Susan Apt. I'm a TK teacher, as well as a parent of three RUSD graduates. I reside in Trustee Area 2. Tonight, I'd like to raise objections to our school board member's desire to purchase a new reading program from Mississippi for our elementary teachers. While I applaud our desire to seek ways to increase student literacy rates, I caution you to do so thoughtfully. When I researched the success of the state of Mississippi's reading program, there was something that stood out. The class size average in their primary classes is 18. California's average is 25. Here in RUSD, our classes far surpass that. In fact, at Smiley and Kimberly, the first grade classes are around 30 students per class. As you can assume, students, especially our youngest students, learn best in small classes. In fact, the student-teacher achievement ratio, the STAR study, conducted in Tennessee found a correlation between smaller class sizes and increased student achievement in elementary schools, particularly in K-3. RUSD does not need one more reading program. We need to prioritize our youngest students and reduce class sizes in grades one through three. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Stephen.

Aya Francisco.

Hello, I am a student of Redlands High School, and I would like to direct my message to you, Michelle Rendler. The fact that you are still considering policy 6115, the flag ban policy, after all these months, is to be frank, ludicrous. There is no logical reason why symbols of acceptance like pride flags would offend anyone but a small concentration of the most xenophobic of individuals as one can see with the amount of people who spoke out against the policy, namely nearly 1,200 postcards, 50 written letters, and around 400 emails, and a vast majority of all the people here. But it seems that the whining of a small, bigoted few is enough to warrant the erasure of even acknowledging harmless minorities, whether through representation or discussion. By virtue of not being white, straight, Christian, cisgender, rich, what have you, the fact that you, Michelle Rendler, are so reluctant to deny this policy makes me question why you are even sitting here in the first place. If you actually care about bettering my classmates' well-being, don't go around fanning the flames of controversies of policies we have warned to you continuously about. Michelle Rendler, please take a moment to consider what this policy would, in what ways it would affect my classes and my school. Thank you.

Thank you, Aya.

Next up, we have Tricia Keeling, followed by Michael Paisner.

Good evening, Board President Rendler, Board Members, and Superintendent Cabral. I'm here this evening to request that you take into consideration the overwhelming number of community members, parents, and students who have asked you to stop the discussion of the proposed flag ban policy. This policy will continue to divide our community, cost thousands in legal fees, and add another layer of unwarranted distrust to the hardworking teachers and Redlands Unified staff members at our school sites. Redlands teachers and staff are some of the most hardworking educational professionals in our region and deserve to be treated with respect. Together, Redlands has delivered over 1,000 postcards from community members and opposition. We've facilitated hundreds of emails to be delivered. We've now gathered over 50 handwritten letters to you, board member Redler. It is quite clear that the voters within Redlands, Loma Linda, Highland, and Mentone do not support such an invasive policy that limits free speech. Additionally, I'd like to speak to the demands from the family within the district who has been the recipient of racist remarks at Mariposa Elementary. I can't help but remember the push and advocacy that was made in the wake of 2020 here in Redlands. The district got to hear firsthand how many students had experienced racism within this district. These issues are still continuing and will continue unless proper steps are made. Redlands Unified needs to do a better job at addressing racism. The family affected has requested real reform and district-wide accountability and and Together for Redlands supports this request. Thank you.

Ms. Rendler, this evening I direct my comments to you. In recent months, I've connected with many people that share my concerns about the policies Ms. Olson and Ms. Wilson are promoting, and a few themes have emerged. Top among them are the legal and financial risk these policies present and the risk to the quality of our schools. Their proposals have been tried and rolled back, resulting in huge fines, legal fees, and new laws passed, and these legal battles continue to play out right now. Chino's legal dispute over its flag policy is still ongoing, and last month a lawsuit was filed against Huntington Beach due to their attempt to limit book access, and there are many other examples. Chino's legal fees doubled after they adopted these policies. These proposed policies will not help test scores, they will not improve literacy, and they will not motivate our students to excel. What these policies will do, besides wasting our district's precious resources, is have a chilling effect on our teachers and staff. I've spoken to teachers who work in neighboring districts that will not apply for a job in Redlands out of fear over the direction the Redlands school district may head. Chino, the poster child for these extreme policies, is only slightly larger than Redlands but has 69 unfilled job openings right now compared to 15 for Redlands. We are the jewel of the Inland Empire and our schools have outperformed state averages by avoiding divisive culture war issues. Both current and prospective teachers and staff need assurance from you right now that you believe in and will fight for their rights and their freedom of speech. And I have 124 more letters and postcards I'd like to provide to you.

Okay Consuelo just pointed out that Aya Francisco had a second card and that's allowed. It's public comment. Yeah, so it's only if it's on the agenda, correct? Sorry about that. Okay, so next up we have John Berry, followed by Heather Jackson and Anna Tsai.

Yeah, hi. I'm John Berry, and I'm talking about your flag issue. My comments are based on an op-ed I wrote that was published verbatim in the Redlands Community News in September of 22. as well as my own 42 years in the Army and Army Reserve, specifically my combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. First, the U.S. Supreme Court has already decided the flag issue for local governments. In May of 2022, nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in the court case Shirtless v. Boston said that once local governors open up speech and a flag to one group, they have to open up to all groups, not just that one. The Wall Street Journal characterized it this way, quote, the flag case turned on whether the privately sponsored flags reflected the city's views or those of their sponsors. Under the First Amendment law in general, when the government expresses its own position, say such as commuters in a carpool, it need not offer space to opposing points of view. But as it applies here, but when it opens space to third special interest parties, it cannot discriminate based on messages that they convey. So what happened in Boston is the city of Boston flew like 230 flags, but the moment a Christian flag tried to fly a flag, it was denied. And that was the genesis of this court. So real quick, I'm a veteran. I had a rocket land on my head in Iraq. It shows the sacrifice that we do as veterans. We take an oath of which way we flag on our shoulder because that's what it represents. Please do not disrespect the flag or dishonor the veterans.

Thank you.

If I call you as second up, you can kind of be waiting over here if you'd like.

Good evening. My name is Heather Jackson, a mother of a second and fourth grader, Area 5, at Crafton Elementary School. Last spring, my precocious, straight-A and kind seven-year-old was excited to perform with her dance partner at an ELOP recital. She was in the front smiling and then moved to the back. I learned that her friend Hannah, the daughter of my new friend Anna, told her they can't be partners and she had to stand in the back because people would make fun of them because she was black. She was sad and I was confused. When I dealt with the principal, he was confused as well and tried to ignore Audrey's feelings and only tried to be positive while she was sad. I was very aware he was ill-prepared to show compassion and support. It was apparent there needed to be training and more support to help facilitate change. He asked to connect me with the mother, and I did. Anna was so hurt and confused and immediately apologetic. When we spoke, it turns out her daughter was facing issues of her own, and my daughter was part of a domino effect. Anna.

During the time this incident took place, my daughter Hannah witnessed her brother being called Ching Chong Chong Ching, African monkey and Chinese monkey at school. She was afraid to be targeted like her brother simply because of her skin color. It turned out that her older brother had been subjected to racial slurs since his very first day on campus in first grade, which means the name calling went on for three years. Drawing upon Maslow's theory of needs, it's evident that these experiences have significantly impacted not only Joshua, but also his sister and her friends' emotional and social development, as well as their overall well-being and academic progress. I'm sorry. It is with a deep and solemn hope that I urge the Rutland Unified School District, which prides itself on excellence... Excuse me, your time is up.

Next up, we have Olga Romero, followed by Valerie Taber.

Good evening, board members. My name is Olga Romero. I am the parent of a student currently enrolled in Reliance Unified Special Education. These past two months, I have attended board meetings, hearing the back and forth talks regarding LGBTQ plus flags. I'm not here to discuss whether I'm pro-flags or or if I'm pro or against flags. I observed President Hollihan and Board Member Quintero passionately fight to keep the flags in the classrooms. I sat in awe seeing how Ms. Hollihan even came in sick to cast a vote. I saw how quickly a plan was put together and how it keeps getting brought up. And then I wondered, imagine how nice it would be if those same board members put the same energy into students with disabilities. You see, I have been attending these board meetings for the last five years, asking for more attention to be given to special education, and my pleas have fallen on deaf ears. These students are not symbols. They aren't pieces of material or posters. They are human beings that would greatly benefit from changes, but instead they get nothing. Back in 2023, I spoke to the board and said, you cannot pick and choose who to be inclusive with. As a board, you should be inclusive and fight for all students equally. In my opinion, that has yet to happen. These last two meetings have proven that when a board wants to do something or wants policies implemented, they will move mountains to get it done. Sadly, I can say special education is not on the priority list of this board. I conclude by saying please consider making changes to special education. Please consider our paras and putting together a budget. Thank you. Thank you, Olga.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm here to speak in support of the Hawkins family and condemn the incidents of racially motivated hate comments their students have experienced at Mariposa. I don't think it's any coincidence that after the recent election that hateful speech and discriminatory events have begun to increase in our schools. And I do not believe that it is a coincidence that students have been emboldened to say hateful comments to their peers, especially as we have a board member who feels it is appropriate to gloat about DEI protections. being removed at a federal level, and openly advocates against equity as a concept. To be clear, Olsen, you are a part of the problem. While we have many excellent teachers who work to spread a multicultural, inclusive perspective in our school, three incidences within a 90-day period speaks to a systemic problem that needs a systemic approach. Though the district has its hands legally tied regarding sharing consequences and discipline regarding students and staff, the district and the school site administrators can and should move to take steps to create systemic change, including but not limited to anti-racist curriculum and training. Diversity training is not sufficient. and announcing the harmful statements by your fellow board member and holding her accountable for her harmful and unprofessional behavior on and off the dais. Lastly, in 2020, this board passed a resolution declaring racism as a public health crisis and committed to several steps and actions to address this on a systemic level. And in 2023, this board passed an equity policy that created an equity advisory committee. Where is the school district on implementing these? I urge the board to review these documents and take immediate action to bring the district in alignment with these documents.

Thank you.

Okay, next up we have Lynn Brown Summers, followed by Dr. Regina Patton-Stelm.

Hello. My name is Lynn Brown Summers. I'm with BAPAC. One of the things that I want each one of you and everybody in this room, look at your mission statement. Read it. Whenever you have something like this and it's posted and you don't want to live by it, then I'm just going to tell everybody in Redlands to make sure that we get you out of office. Because if you're saying that you're trying to make sure that you're going to change the world, that we're going to have leaders for the 21st century, and you're teaching them how to hate and you're being okay with it, not acceptable. I've been an advocate now for about 20 years. And I will tell you, between here and Norco, you guys have had the worst track record. And I'm going to make sure the families that I helped, I'm going to make sure that they start coming and showing and telling everybody exactly what you guys are about. This is unacceptable. I have raised four sons. All of them are black. And you know what? If I had to have to deal with what this family has to deal with, I would tell you, everybody, including Trump, would know about it. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Good evening. I am Dr. Regina Patton Stell. And a little about my background. Close to 40 years in education. I am actively involved now at the state level, national level, with the NAACP. It is the oldest, the boldest, over 100-year civil rights organization. And we have gotten calls about Redlands. This is not my jurisdiction, but now I am here representing the state. And let me tell you, it's a new day. It's a new day for all. The good news is... We are for black people, but we're for all people. Read our mission statement. Every initial, we cover it all. But let me say this to you. The good news is that we're in the process of training districts, training parents, training, we're doing modules right now. Redlands, we've chosen to be a case study. It's not a, if you want to or not, your case study. What I'm encouraging is that you come on board because we're doing modules. And they're so impressed with California, they've asked us to take it nationwide. So we're getting ready to inform and educate parents on their rights, the whole, you know, the uniform complaint procedures, all that. I was assistant superintendent, principal, director, teacher, all of it. Join us. You will need us. It's a new day. Join us. You will need us. You want to be on this side of history. Trust me. Thank you. Dr. Stahel, call me. Thank you. Thank you, Regina.

Next up, we have Carolyn Murray, followed by Kaya Yoshimitsu.

Good evening. I'm Dr. Carolyn Murray. I'm a social psychologist by training, and I'm here representing the NAACP as the educational chair. I'm on the statewide committee as well as Branch 1059. I'm here to say that school districts need to address anti-blackness and bullying. School districts play a critical role in ensuring that all students, regardless of race, gender, or background, have access to safe, inclusive, and supportive environments. Unfortunately, anti-blackness and bullying continues to affect African American students, leading to long-lasting emotional, academic, and social consequences. Addressing these issues is not only a moral and ethical obligation, but it's also a practical one. for fostering academic success, equity, and positive community relations. The impact of anti-blackness on black children is devastating. It's harmful. It's particularly bad for African Americans than other groups. But for all groups, it's horrible. And so what we need to do, we need to basically have training I had to cut out a lot of words because I prepared this for three minutes. A key component to addressing our anti-blackness and bullying is implication of policies and programs. Thank you, Carolyn. Thank you very much. And I invite members to sign up with us to do a module tomorrow night at 6 o'clock on Zoom.

Hello, my name is Kaya Yoshimitsu. I am a senior at Citrus Valley High School. I'd like to consider myself involved in my community. I've always been proud of my community and I try to do my best to serve it as a Girl Scout and as a senior eventually to become a voter. So you can imagine my disappointment when I found the system meant to support, protect, and represent me and others like me did not have our backs. I'd like to share comments from my petition against the flag policy. This is America, land of the free. Banning these symbols of expression is against all that this country stands for, freedom. Flags can symbolize pride, culture, and identity, fostering a sense of community. Bending them would limit expression and understanding among students. It's essential to find a balance that respects diversity while maintaining a positive environment. We are not asking for all of our flags to be required to fly. We are simply asking for the basic right that was granted to us before this policy was even a consideration, the right to express ourselves freely as granted to us by the First Amendment. For you, Michelle Rundler, I'd like to share a quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu that has reached my ears. If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Thank you, Kev. Thank you.

Okay. Next up, we have Greg Britton, followed by Channing T. Hawkins.

Give me again. Tonight's presentation is brought to you by the number 15. Children need a good education to prosper. The Republic needs informed citizens to survive, and every nation needs to pass on its cultural and history in order to survive as a nation. On each of these accounts, the government-run schools are doing mediocre to lousy. And it's not from lack of resources. California this year will spend $24,000 per student, not counting bond money. Since 1970, after adjusting for inflation, spending per student in America has increased by more than 260%. Since 2000, the number of students has gone up by 5%, the number of principals has gone up by 10%, the number of principals' assistants has gone up by 39%, and the number of other administrative employees has gone up by more than 95%. Then on top of a lousy education, you have what is really the divisive culture war issue is putting special interest flags that reflect a very narrow segment of the population into the classrooms to indoctrinate the students into that lifestyle. So 15 is this. As of this week, there are 15 states that have school choice. And if you continue these policies of divisive culture war and lousy education, it's going to be a lot more sooner. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Britton.

Good evening, everyone. You know, I want to express the sentiment that my wife expressed that I'm disappointed after we had our meeting. Mr. Cabral, Board Member Rindler, and Candy Olson, that you all didn't get the resolution on the agenda after you committed to the meeting. So that's the second time that you all failed me. The first incident that I can really think of is this idea that you all are allowing kindergartners to be taught about black caricatures in the school. Just the idea that for 30 years, I think, the teacher's been here, that that kind of conduct has been going on just because we're one of the rare black families. We moved here because we thought it was safe. We thought our neighborhood was safe. We thought the community was safe and our kids would have a better opportunity in life. We didn't realize we would get here and maybe have to draw blackface characters, third graders, And I can tell you they didn't learn this on ABC Mouse. I was told that it was taught on the soccer team. So that means the community allows this to happen. I've already been a coach here in Redlands, and I never allowed that for the kids I coached to a championship. I was also told that they didn't know where they were getting it from. It was gotten from home. And when we asked to speak to the parents, we were denied that opportunity because that is the values that this community is showing to African Americans.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Thank you.

Next up we have Cameron Payant, followed by Mary Chambers.

First and foremost, I want to say that even in moments that are not ideal, it is and will always be all glory to God. I pray we are grounded in understanding. We all gather in unison, although our reasons and whys may differ. I do not intend to preach or to fill the room with jargon and aimless words. I arrive with clear intentions to address racism in Redlands Unified School Districts. It pains me to be made aware that black students in this school district are at risk of racial discrimination and unfair treatment. It pains me that generation after generation, our reality is that we must fight for our basic needs and our rights. We must continually organize and stand up against oppression and the acceptance of it. Being a black student and being told everything that Ms. Hawkins listed is trauma inducing, and it is difficult to heal from. The district aims include to provide students with social-emotional support and safety. The Act Now initiative focuses on overall safety, protection, and awareness, etc. This is not fact for as long as you do not take holistic action towards justice. This is not fact for as long as you do not go and give those students disciplinary action. This is not fact for as long as you do not help those students heal from the trauma that has been induced upon them. That emblem, that logo above your head that says excellence in education, it is not a fact for as long as students do not feel safe and comfortable in their learning environments. So I don't advise you to have another meeting. Yes, yes, I know. I do not advise you to have another meeting. I advise you to act. Thank you.

Thank you. Is Mary Chambers here?

Good evening members of the board. My name is Marion Chambers and I'm here tonight both as a concerned parent and a member of this community. I stand before you to address critical issues that not only affect my son but reflects a larger problem within our district. It concerns safety of students and the lack of meaningful consequences for violent behavior and the district's failure to provide a safe, supportive learning environment. My son has been assaulted twice within your district, and my son has had two occasions where six to ten students had followed him because of rumors with intent to harm. I have been told by people within your district that my son is no longer safe at any of your high schools. And while my son is now forced on independent study, I have been informed that the students responsible for both assaults have returned to school. Despite being the victim, my son is being punished, while attackers face little to no consequences. After bringing these concerns to the district, I was told that the incidents were not considered expellable offenses despite California's Education Code 4890 stereotypes. stating that students who cause or attempt physical harm can be suspended or expelled. Furthermore, I was informed that transferring the students responsible to a continuation school was not an option as those schools are not intended for credited recovery, not for disciplinary actions. This situation my family has been forced is clear cause of discrimination against a victim by not protecting my son.

Thank you, Mary. Next up we have Maria Whitaker Saucedo, followed by Dr. David Morrow.

Good evening, everyone. I'm Maria Whitaker Salcido, co-founder and chairwoman of the Common Vision Coalition of Redlands. I am here to support the Hawkins family as it relates to their child who attend Mariposa Elementary School and who has endured incidents of racial discrimination and harassment. This is something no child should endure. or be subjected to. I implore you Superintendent Cabral to thoroughly investigate every aspect of this situation and hold the individual or individuals accountable for allowing these despicable incidents to occur especially in the classroom. Thank you.

Thank you Maria.

Good evening. I'm Dr. David Maher. I'm the president of 100 Black Men of the Inland Empire, and we're here as a call to action from the Hawkins family. When we heard the incidents that had taken place, I was sent to come and be a representative here as a single person, but we have an entire organization across the country behind us. And I have two things that I have to say. The first thing that came to my mind was part of a speech that took place 62 years ago where Martin Luther King said that I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. And when a kid comes to school and he doesn't look like or she doesn't look like the majority of the class, it may look like it's just that one person. But those kids have villages behind them. We are that village. And in closing, I'm just saying, we'll be back and we'll keep coming back until something changes. Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Jared Gustafson, followed by Tommy Morrow.

Yeah, well, I'd just like to first speak to all the parents that have shared these horrific things that have happened to your students. It's hard as a social worker, as a community member, as a minister to hear that. And I stand with the students and I stand with your families. Martin Luther King said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. And Jeanette, watching you serve as a social worker for the last 40 years, you served a diverse community. Candy, witnessing firsthand you as an ER nurse and the length of compassion and diligence you served all of your patients with, that's one of the reasons I'm so excited to look up there and see you guys on that school board. The majority of the community voted for you both, and we stand with you. Over 10,000 votes. We are celebrating you and are glad that you're there. I believe that this election actually represents a new season for Redlands, a new era. People are tired of ignored sexual abuse and administrators that ignore and fail to report it. As a medical social worker who has made over 200 CPS referrals, I am glad that you are there to protect the children. Jeanette, even tonight you stood against sexual abusers entering communities. entering school campuses, and I appreciate that. There is a loud, noisy group of agitators that flood email boxes and get loud at school board meetings, but let me remind you that Redlands has voted, and Redlands voted for you. Now, with the last five seconds, I just want to encourage you, Madam Rendler, and the rest of the board to do what's right and vote for politically neutral classrooms.

Thank you, Jared.

Members of the board superintendent. My name's Tommy Morrow. I am the publisher emeritus of the inland valley newspaper group and a retired school teacher and administrator for 37 years. I stand before you this evening to join my brother and sister in sounding the alarm that what has happened is atrocious and should never happen again. You and your beautiful and well-written mission statement tonight in the wake of all that has happened recently in this district and in your classrooms, your mission statement is rendered null and void. Words are important part of communication and most people use words whether written or spoken to communicate. Words determine action and actions determine habits and habits defines character. When words don't reflect action, those words are called empty. Empty words have no place in a school district nor in a properly functioning society. In this present climate, we hear many leaders and others who use words that are hollow and empty. I want to remind you of your beautifully written words found on your mission statement. They ring empty and hollow tonight. Do the right thing by all the children of this district, regardless of their ethnicity, social economic level, religious preference, creed, and race.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Talese Morrow, followed by Joseph Williams.

Good evening, board members. My name is Talese Morrow, and I'm the chief operating officer and publisher of the Inland Valley Newspaper Group. But tonight, I stand here, a concerned community member. And I'm here to address two issues. One, the lead at Orangewood High School continuation and the racial incidents involving blackface assignments and racially insensitive comments from students passed in the classroom. As you should know, lead exposure can cause severe health effects, especially in young people, including cognitive impairments and developmental disabilities. Immediate action is needed to test, treat, and ensure the water is safe for all of our children to drink. Equally alarming are the racial incidents at Mariposa. Allowing a teacher to work and to assign work involving blackface, reflects a deeper, systematic failure in addressing racial bias. Also alarming is children passing racially-intensive notes to a black student, depicting their future to be as dark as their skin. It's absolutely disgusting, and it is not okay by any means. These actions create a hostile learning environment for black students, reinforcing feelings of isolation and mistrust. I urge this district to implement mandatory ongoing cultural sensitivity and anti-bias training for all teachers and staff. It is time to show that this district values and protects all students, especially those that have been marginalized for too long. May God bless you and may he have mercy upon you.

Thank you very much.

Good evening, members of the board, superintendent. My name is Joseph Williams, and I'm here for students and for the Hawkins family. I've served the last 12 years as a member of the San Bernardino Community College Board of Trustees, and I know firsthand that you sometimes have to sit there and look like you don't care. But there are ways to show that you do, and limiting public comment is not one. These are not isolated incidences. There's a pattern of hate that is poisoned in our schools. And to be clear, as an education policymaker, this is not a DEI issue. It's not an equity issue. This is your most basic responsibility and why you receive apportionment. Your actions or lack thereof create a hostile learning environment where students feel unsafe and targeted. I'm here to demand that immediate mandatory zero tolerance anti-racist training. For all students and staff with a strong emphasis on cultural competency and responsiveness, the inclusion of Black Pete in an assignment suggests a profound lack of awareness, sensitivity, must be addressed through comprehensive cultural competency and responsive training. A thorough and transparent investigation into these incidences with clear consequences to those responsible. A commitment to systematic change, including a review of curriculum and policy to ensure inclusion, anti-racist, and cultural responsiveness. And then y'all need to get a game plan. Y'all need to respond to the folks and make sure that people know that you're here to protect all students. This can't be tolerated.

Thank you, Joseph.

Melissa, I'll start with you tonight. Anything you want to say?

Well, you all have to forgive me. I'm sick right now. And if I have a coughing fit in the middle of my comments, I apologize. And I just want you to know that I had stepped away from the dais for a little bit, but it was not because I didn't want to hear your statement. So if I missed your statement, I'm willing to meet with you afterwards so that I can hear it. I'll get to a couple of little housekeeping things real quick. I want to congratulate Mission Elementary for receiving the, I went to the Burlington Coat Factory opening and they received a $5,000 grant for their school. So I wanted to congratulate them on that. We also went to the Citrus Counseling Gala and that was a wonderful event to raise money for Citrus Counseling. That was a great night and it was a great ice breaking game. I didn't make it to the superintendent's awards, and I was sick, so I didn't get to do any of the reading at our local schools, and hopefully I can make up for that next year. I did attend. We were all invited to the interfaith Ramadan Iftar dinner at ICCR, and I enjoy that very much. I get to spend time. time with other people from different faiths, different backgrounds, and that has to be one of my favorite events of the year. So thank you to ICCR for the invitation and thank you to our superintendent for attending with me as well. I did this week as well thank you to the city of Redlands. I attended some CERT training. It was 20 hours while I was sick of receiving a certification in being part of a community emergency response team. So should horrible things happen where emergency personnel can't get to us right away, like fires or mudslides, we are certified to then go and help provide first aid and assistance until emergency personnel can return. But it's a wonderful event and a wonderful training. And I suggest that if you are able to, there is another one in September. So I suggest going to the City of Redlands and put it on by the fire department to go ahead and attend that. I do want to thank all our speakers for coming out tonight. I know this is a very uncomfortable topic, and I want you to know that I hear you, I see you, and I appreciate when the community comes together and stands up for our students. So thank you.

All right. I want you all to know that I am concerned and greatly disappointed in the recent incidents that has been mentioned before regarding the racially based comments at the elementary school. But I want to assure you that no one agrees that this was good. I mean, no one believes that this was a good thing. It's good that it was brought to our attention. And our superintendent, I believe, will be addressing and detailing the exact plan of action. So I will leave that to him. But we are working together as a district to address it. And we need to continually teach our students and remind our students that how to treat each other with kindness and respect regardless of all of our differences. We wish those things didn't happen, but it did, and so now we need to address it and teach our kids what appropriate behavior is and how to be kind and respectful. Um, I believe our superintendent along with the site principal have done a great job at implementing the plan that he will mention. Uh, it will be an ongoing effort with the community. Um, no one thinks it's acceptable. I'm just, um, we would just like to correct it and put into plan, continue a plan that is the best and, um, can be implemented for all of the students, basically. We did talk about our board goals today, and I wish we'd haven't finalized them. So I will leave that to a different meeting. Regarding Linda Mood Bell cohort, we've identified a classroom of mild to moderate IEP students who I feel will benefit really greatly from reading and comprehension intervention. The details on this are still being worked out, and I am excited to see if we can really significantly help our IEP kids have better outcomes with higher reading scores. Another thing is I'm really excited to announce is that I had the opportunity to provide the teachers with a new flooring at one of their teachers' lounges. So Kimberly's lounge was the one in the worst shape that was picked out. So they will receive a new flooring, which will be installed over this coming summer break to avoid any interruptions for the teachers during their lunch hour. And I thank everyone also for coming out, too. Thank you. Jeanette?

So, yes, I too am very concerned about the issues at Mariposa and also possibly looking into other situations that were discussed tonight. I appreciate it very much when parents bring forth specific situations that have happened, and we also have many other ways to keep the board informed of problematic things going on in our district. So I'm glad we were told about what was happening at Mariposa, and I look forward to working further to provide cultural sensitivity, ongoing trainings, and to solidify our expectations with our staff as well. So I do thank you very much, everyone, for coming out tonight. I just wanted to mention, I'm personally and personally On behalf of the district concerned about, this is a whole different topic, but the cost of the South Coast Air Quality Management Group is looking to require conversion of all natural gas, fired central furnaces and residential furnaces. fired hot water heaters, converting to electric, and the reported financial impact by them is $6,000 to $12,000 per individual residence and $300,000 to $800,000 for small businesses to make this conversion, and I am concerned about the cost that could provide to the district. So I encourage you to research that a little more and make your voices heard if you are concerned as well. And I just wanted to briefly say, someone mentioned the Mississippi program and results they had was brought up as an example of what can be done in other states regarding improving our literacy standards. among our students. I believe that literacy is one of the very basic skills that students should be obtaining and succeeding at in school. I mean, reading and comprehension relates to pretty much every other subject and their future. We are working hard to try to find an evidence-based program that we can utilize that matches our population here and really track and see how much we can get those scores improved. And because I want to see improved scores has nothing to do at all with my view of what our teachers are doing. I have been out to several schools. I went to read across America, read to the students, the mock interviews, the superintendent's awards, and know that our teachers are working very hard in their classrooms. That doesn't mean we can't work towards improvement. We all are expected to have improvement in our performance in whatever job we have, and that is the intent with my time and focus in the area of increased literacy scores. And again, I thank you all for coming tonight and appreciate your feedback.

Okay, just a few places that we went to, or I did. We attended the Attended Youth Hope event with our superintendent and with Mrs. Rendler, and also the Christian Counseling event that we went where everyone were all there. At the superintendent's award, I would have to say thank you to CV for hosting, but most importantly for the entertainment. They did an early vision of what they're going to be on their production for spring, which is Legally Blonde, and our students did an amazing, amazing job. not to mention the entertainment and the music that we had that followed it. It was outstanding. Participated in a Read Across America at Smiley and Arroyo Verde this time. And then just a couple thank yous to Curtin, if he's still here. Thank you, Jason, and your staff for putting out our second interim report. And then congrats to Raul and welcome to Brethren's Unified School District. And to Wendy, congratulations. I didn't know you were a co-parent, so I'm glad to have you. And then also I want to say a couple things. So Jamie Quartz is sitting in the back. His wife, Susan Quartz, has a book that's coming out. on Saturday, and I don't know if anyone knows, Frugal Frigate this weekend. She's a second teacher at Highland Grove, and she has a book coming out. And that's really awesome. And then I found out that Jamie is the one that did the illustrations of it. Did you know that? So I'm like super proud to have our staff out there. Not only that, but the books that they do, they donate the money, will go to the Animal Welfare Organization. So Mr. Quartz in the back, thank you, and congratulations to you and your wife on their second book. That's awesome. And then to those of you who came tonight, thank you for weathering the storm and coming out. I want to thank our students first for coming out, because Kaya, there you are, thank you so much, because you're why I'm here, to make sure that you have a better education, to make sure... that we can support in all your decisions that you do. And for you to come here and take time out of your school day, homework at night, says a lot. And I'm so proud of both of you for coming out here as students. You did an amazing job, and I'm really proud of you. To our parents at Crafton, I'm so sorry that your students endured that. I didn't know. And please see me. Please see Mr. Cabral. We'll make sure that doesn't happen, because that's wrong. To Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, I can only say I'm deeply and truly sorry what you have experienced. I can't even imagine. My emails were done at 6 o'clock or 5.45. It just started blowing up. I started receiving all these emails. I was like, what's everybody talking about? And here we go. They just started going on. I am truly and deeply sorry for your son that he had to experience that because it's going to take a while to get over something like that. But I can tell you. that I will be part of whatever we decide to do to go forward and move forward with our superintendent and our board, that we do the right thing for you. And I'm so deeply sorry. And as a person of color, I've had some incidents, so it's not fun. And I'm sorry that you had to endure that. Thank you.

Okay, good evening everybody. Thank you so much to all the speakers who came out tonight. I really, really, really listened to everything that you say. I'm writing things down and we're discussing it. To the Hawkins family, I am so saddened by what happened to your boys at Mariposa and what they're going through. It just breaks my heart. I've been here in Redlands 35 years and this is the first time I've actually heard Somebody talk about this and the family at Crafton. I had no idea, and I'm really sorry. I'm very sorry. You know, I do not stand for hate speech, bullying, and racism of any kind to any student. I mean, I do not stand for that at all. We all want students to be safe, to feel safe when they're at school, when they're out in the community. That's a right that they have to feel safe. And I think we'll continue to look at all our policies and protocols. And what I did say at that meeting is that I was going to pull out that resolution that we hadn't looked at since the day that we signed it, actually. And I was going to look at it again and bring it to the board, which I have not done yet, but I will. And look at it and see if it's still right, if it still fits, if we need to change it for not doing what we're supposed to be doing. So I just wanted to say that to you, that my heart breaks for your boys. And I wanted to let you know different things that I have done this month. I went to the compact dinner mixer, and I just want to thank Ann Leonard. She's in charge of the compact clubs at all our high schools, and she does a phenomenal job. I want to congratulate all our sports teams that made it through CIF. One way that I've been able to support students in Redlands is by attending events that support them. The Redlands RHS annual football pancake breakfast, Youth Hope Dinner, Citrus Counseling Services Mystery Gala Dinner, Superintendents Awards, and last week I went to McKinley to witness the Black History Museum where students researched a famous person in history and then presented their reports complete with costumes and props. It was very impressive. I attended the Clement Black History Month celebration put on by the District African American Parent Advisory Council. I hope you all had a chance to stop by at some point during that evening. It was put on really nicely. It was a nice program. Read Across America, always a favorite of mine. I was able to go to Judson Brown, McKinley. Mission, Smiley, Franklin, Highland Grove, it was great. And Dr. Brad Mason came to McKinley one day and spent the whole day with the kids with his books, the Charlie Toulouse series. He has the first two out. teaching them about writing the stories that are in their head and how to do that so it was really neat um and uh thank you i mean congratulations to raul and wendy on your new assignments it's wonderful and i want i hope everyone has a wonderful spring break and when we return back to school it'll be time for the redlands bicycle classic so remember to sign your students up for the school dual public races on april 12th and that's all i have for tonight thank you Mr. Cabral, do you have any comments this evening?

Yes, thank you. I'd like to start by saying thank you to everyone who shared this evening. It's absolutely unacceptable that any of our teachers would choose Black Pete to be any part of any kind of activity in the classroom. And it is something that was addressed immediately by the principal when she was made aware. I became aware of it several weeks after the incident. And when I first heard about it, my first reaction was, it's totally unacceptable. And it is not any kind of activity that we are going to allow or tolerate. And intervention and or any kind of accountability that we have to do to any staff is something that we are going to carry out. The actions that we've taken with respect to our students who participated in making one of our students feel less than is horrible, that that happened. And we want for all our kids to be better. As soon as I knew about the second incident, the first incident that I got an email about, I was copied on an email to the principal, was not Black Pete. Black Pete I did not learn about until I met with the family. The incident that was the first incident, I was copied in an email, and I knew the principal took immediate action about that incident. It was a few weeks, maybe 10 days later, that the third incident happened. And then I got an email that was directed to me at around 2 o'clock. And I immediately reached out to the family to meet with them. And we met in my office not two hours later. I point that out because you have a superintendent who is not going to tolerate not having some type of action when we have incidences like that in our community. My hope was to be able to implement something that would help We immediately went into the classroom the very next day to speak to that class specifically in order to teach the kids that it's not okay. Then we developed a plan to go into the school over a two week period so that we could go into every single classroom. That's actually being implemented, started last week and it's continuing through this week. We also called the meeting of the staff so that we could go over with the staff why it's important that we all be trained in how to not only identify this type of behavior, but how to intervene with students and help them understand why it's not okay. Do I think that these actions are enough? I'm not here saying that that is enough. What I am here saying is that we are not going to tolerate this kind of behavior, and we did take immediate action when we were aware of it. Tonight, I'm hearing incidents over at Krafton. I've made note of that. You're going to be hearing from my office because that's not okay. I know that there are incidences district-wide that have to be addressed, which is the main reason why we developed equity teams at every single site a few years ago. Those equity teams continue to this day, but I also know that some of our teams at some of our sites are more effective and a little bit more on top of it than other teams. And so it is my duty to make sure that we stay consistent in the way that we are addressing all of the incidences on all of our campuses. The bottom line is that it's not okay for our kids to participate in any kind of hate speech or make each other feel in any way less than okay. And we're going to do everything we can to continue to teach them that it's not okay and that they need to act better. It does start with the adults because we are the example. I believe in leading by example. I will continue to do that. And I will hold all of the staff that are under me accountable for also leading by example. I am going to do everything we can as a district to be better. I can assure you of that. I look forward to continue to work with you, specifically all of our community members, folks that are within our district, but also any visitors that we have here, because we cannot do it alone. And one of the first things that I said out loud is I need help. And I am okay with admitting that because we do have to solve this together. So I very much appreciate all of the input that we got tonight, and I assure you that we can continue to do the work. Thank you so much, everyone.

Thank you.

All right. Does anybody have anything for a future agenda?

Yes, I do. I would like to see our board vote on a resolution regarding what Jeanette had mentioned. Based on the South Coast AQMD's estimates, the proposed rule mandates of 111 and 121 would impact more than five point one million water heaters in our area the economic impact across the south coast air basin would be more than twenty point four billion when factoring in conversion costs these two rules would be the costliest rulemaking south coast a q m d has ever undertaken Our power grid cannot accommodate it. Our school district cannot afford it due to electrical conversion costs that are exorbitant. Our elderly on fixed incomes can't afford it, nor could they survive the electric grid outages when it's cold or storms affect our power line. Our lower to middle class socioeconomic classes couldn't afford it either. Apartment complex residents would be unhoused because you cannot do these electrical upgrades when residents are residing inside the apartment. So you would have to displace a large amount of apartment complex residents. individuals and elderly people in order for these. So I would really like to see a resolution on the agenda to vote on for the next time to see if we could put forth a resolution in opposition to those rules. I don't think they are good for anybody.

And I can provide information on this Friday's issue regarding that for next time.

Anything else? Yes, we had someone come speak to us about our flag policy. Where are we on that and what are we going to do about resolution?

Thank you. I do have an update on that. The board requested having a special board meeting for public knowledge on March 21st, specifically to discuss policies. And so the flag policy will be a part of that discussion. So March 21st, it would be agendized probably on the 18th or 19th of next week. And you, as a public, will be able to see which policies will be discussed. Yes, the meeting starts at 1. It's scheduled to go from 1 to 5. It's going to be a workshop so that there can be a discussion. Workshops are open to the public.

I know Superintendent Cabral had mentioned the 5% increase in the board compensation. I wanted to make sure that I wanted to find out if we were going to, as we have in the past, gone retroactive. Because I know it's different for current board members.

It would be an action item and then it would be retro to the last one, the date of the last time there was an increase. Okay.

But that will be on the 21st.

Can be, yes.

I'm requesting that. Yeah.

Okay. We are adjourned at 822. Thank you, everybody.