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Board of Education — May 9, 2023

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The Redlands Unified School District Board of Education held a meeting on May 9th to honor retiring employees and address community concerns. Four educators were recognized for their service: Eva Martinez (20.75 years), Sherry Walsh (29 years), Eleanor Garvin (27 years), and Wendy Campbell (32 years). The board also received a report on the inaugural student trustee program, with students providing suggestions for improvement including increased campus input, a two-year commitment structure, course credit opportunities, and monthly meetings with the superintendent. Additionally, the meeting included substantial public comment regarding the Latin program at Redlands High School and various concerns about school safety and curriculum materials.

Key decisions

  • Approved consent items B through P (unanimous)
  • Approved consent item 14B (unanimous)
  • Approved consent items B through N (unanimous)
  • Approved Certificate of Need for Fully Qualified Educators for submission to California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (unanimous)
  • Deferred student trustee recognition to May 23rd board meeting due to AP testing

Public comment

Public comment focused primarily on two major issues: (1) Strong support for maintaining the in-person Latin program at Redlands High School, with multiple students, alumni, and parents testifying about the program's value, teacher quality, and community-building aspects, expressing concerns that moving to online/telepresence would diminish the program; and (2) Concerns from parents about sexual abuse allegations involving staff members, requests for independent monitoring, and objections to certain library materials deemed inappropriate for students. One commenter expressed opposition to LGBTQ+ pride flag recognition. Emails were received from seven community members.

Notable speakers

Jim O'Neill - Board member reporting on inaugural student trustee program and their recommendations, Olga Romero - Parent expressing concerns about sexual abuse allegations and teacher conduct, Candy Olsen - Parent raising concerns about curriculum materials and teacher disrespect toward students, Isaac Vega - Community member supporting Latin program and teacher Dela Cruz, Joshua Oh - Student expressing intent to take Latin with teacher Dela Cruz, Mayor Condon - Parent supporting Latin program, Isaac Gutierrez - Current Latin I student supporting in-person Latin instruction, Prashanth Gouda - Parent explaining daughter's preference for in-person Latin learning, Ron Thompson - Parent of Latin student discussing program rarity and value, Kane Smith - AP Latin student describing four-year experience and language benefits, Austin Tremaine - RHS alumnus describing Latin as transformative and expressing concerns about online format, Ifata Sinaga - AP Latin student describing community impact and requesting better communication, Anna Balsu - RHS alumna (class 2022) describing Latin's impact on her confidence and career

Topics: Retiree recognition · Student trustee program evaluation · Latin program at Redlands High School · Sexual abuse allegations and teacher conduct · Curriculum materials and book content · Online versus in-person learning · Student input and engagement · Redlands Compact scholarships · Educator credentialing