🕕 March 11, 2025: a comment period about racist incidents, and three volunteer regulations pulled

President Michele Rendler opened the afternoon session at 3:02 p.m. and the regular open session at 6:03 p.m., with Melissa Ayala-Quintero, Patty Holohan, Candy Olson, Michele Rendler and Jeannette Wilson present 1 2. The meeting adjourned at 8:22 p.m. 3.

Most of the night belonged to the public. More than twenty people used general community input, and the great majority spoke about racist incidents involving Black students at Mariposa and Crafton elementary schools 4. The board's most consequential move on its own business was a refusal to act: after discussion it made no motion at all on three proposed volunteer and criminal-record regulations, pulling them "until further revisions are made" 5.

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🗣️ Community input, and what it was about

Daphne Hawkins opened community input by describing racist incidents her child experienced in the district: a note saying "your skin is as black as your future", being compared to a "black African monkey", and a class assignment involving a racist character, Black Pete. She told the board that without action she would continue to escalate the issue, including involving the media and the Department of Justice 4.

Channing Hawkins, Esq. said the board had not followed through on a commitment made at a prior meeting to place a resolution on the agenda, and recounted the family's shock at finding their children were being taught about Black caricatures in school 6.

Heather Jackson described a dance recital at Crafton Elementary where her daughter Audrey's partner, Hannah, was told by others that the two could not perform together because Audrey was Black, and said the principal showed a lack of support and compassion 7. Anna Tsai said her son Joshua had endured racial slurs since first grade, lasting three years 7.

Mary Chambers said her son had been assaulted twice and twice followed by a group of six to ten students, and that while he was placed in independent study the students responsible faced little to no consequence 6.

Talese Morrow raised lead exposure at Orangewood High School alongside the racial incidents at Mariposa, and urged mandatory cultural sensitivity and anti-bias training for all staff 8. Dr. Regina Patton Stell told the board the NAACP had received calls about Redlands and that the district had been chosen as a case study for training modules on parents' rights 7.

Two speakers set the racism discussion beside other district business. Olga Romero said she had spent five years asking for more attention to special education and contrasted that with the energy the board had given to the flag question, urging it to be inclusive of students with disabilities 7. Jared Gustafson spoke in support of the parents who had described what happened to their children, and encouraged the board to act in favor of "politically neutral classrooms" 8.

Valerie Taber spoke in support of the Hawkins family, linked the rise in discriminatory incidents to the recent election, and criticized board member Olson for advocating against equity and DEI protections, and called for anti-racist curriculum, better diversity training, and a return to the board's own earlier resolutions on racism and equity 7.

Michael Paisner directed his comments to Michele Rendler, raising concerns about policies he attributed to Candy Olson and Jeannette Wilson. He cited ongoing legal battles in Chino and Huntington Beach and Chino's unfilled job openings, and warned that such policies would not improve test scores or student motivation but would waste district resources and create fear among teachers 4.

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🎙️ How the board answered

Superintendent Juan Cabral responded in his comments. The minutes record him describing the use of Black Pete in a classroom as "absolutely unacceptable" 9; on the recording he told the room, "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" 10. He said the principal acted immediately, that a plan was implemented to visit every classroom over two weeks, that staff training had been conducted, and that the Crafton incidents raised that night would also be addressed — while stating plainly that these actions were not sufficient on their own 9.

Michele Rendler apologized to the Hawkins family, said hate speech, bullying and racism would not be tolerated, and committed to reviewing and updating a previously signed resolution so that it addresses current needs 9. Patty Holohan apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins and told the Crafton parents that steps would be taken 11. Jeannette Wilson committed to cultural sensitivity training and to reinforcing staff expectations 11. Candy Olson said she was concerned and disappointed by the racially based comments and that the superintendent would be addressing the specific plan of action 11. Melissa Ayala-Quintero thanked the speakers and acknowledged the discomfort of the topic 11.

The district's public answer arrived the next day. Community Forward Redlands reported that Superintendent Juan Cabral "issued a statement Wednesday condemning recent racist incidents involving students and pledging stronger intervention, staff accountability and districtwide training to address discrimination" 12. State Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes wrote to Cabral to express "deep concern regarding multiple reports of hate speech and harassment at Mariposa Elementary School between December 2024 and February 2025" and urged an immediate investigation; her letter lists a December 2024 classroom lesson introducing Black Pete, a January 2025 note reading "YOUR SKIN IS AS BLACK AS YOUR FUTURE", and a February 2025 comment about "A COMEDY SHOW OF BLACK AFRICAN MONKEYS" 13.

The resolution the Hawkins family asked for did not arrive quickly. On June 10, 2025 the board took up two competing resolutions on racism alongside a commemorative-dates resolution; those minutes record that "none of the resolutions advanced due to a lack of consensus" 14. Community Forward Redlands reported that the board "opted not to revise its existing anti-racism resolution", and would instead explore a possible unified statement 15. In June 2026 the same outlet reported that a Redlands mother had sued the district, alleging it "failed to protect her two Black children from repeated racial harassment even after district investigations substantiated multiple incidents" 16.

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🚫 Three first readings pulled

The one Human Resources action item that passed established a Child Nutrition Services Inventory & Purchasing Clerk position at Range 25 of the classified salary schedule 5. The other three did not get that far. The agenda listed them as first readings: new Administrative Regulation 1240 – Volunteer Assistance, revisions to Administrative Regulations 4112.5/4212.5/4312.5 – Criminal Record Check, and revisions to Board Policy 4229 – Volunteers, each described as bringing the document current with CSBA guidelines, district practice and Education Code 17. The minutes close the matter in one line: "After discussion, no motion was made on items XVIII.b. – XVII.d. Items were pulled until further revisions are made" 5.

The questions had surfaced in the earlier comment period on agendized items. Valerie Taber asked for clarification on revisions that would let principals allow sex offenders on campus with proper notification and on TB testing no longer reading as mandatory, and asked how the changes aligned with CSBA guidelines 18. In the board's own discussion the sticking point was a clause allowing a principal to grant a registered sex offender who is not a student's parent or guardian permission to come onto school grounds to volunteer; the explanation offered from the dais was that the provision goes to parental rights, and that any such permission would run under strict guidelines with advance notice to the administrator 19.

The board had been here before: in October 2022 it took up the volunteer Administrative Regulation as a discussion item, where the revised text adjusted the 60-day waiting period wording after a valid tuberculosis clearance and let volunteers begin service before board approval once documentation is verified 20. The 2025 package returned a year later: the revision of AR 4229 – Volunteers to AR 1240 – Volunteer Assistance appears as a first reading on March 10, 2026 21 and as a second and final reading on April 14, 2026 22. BP 1240 – Volunteer Assistance now sits in the policy manual with a last-revised date of April 14, 2026 23. The criminal-record regulation did not travel with it: AR 4112.5 – Criminal Record Check remains on file with a last-revised date of September 10, 2024 24.

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🚩 The flag policy, still unfinished

Five speakers put the proposed flag policy in front of the board. Aya Francisco addressed Michele Rendler directly, pointing to nearly 1,200 postcards, 50 letters and 400 emails, and criticized the policy for erasing recognition of minorities 4. Kaia Yoshimitsu read comments from her petition against the policy and closed with a quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu 6. John Berry, a veteran, told the board the U.S. Supreme Court had already ruled on the flag question in the 2022 Shurtleff v. Boston case: if a local government allows one group to display a flag, it must allow all groups 4. Trisha Keeling urged the board to reconsider the proposed flag ban, citing over 1,000 postcards, hundreds of emails and 50 handwritten letters, and warned that the policy would divide the community, incur legal costs and damage trust in district staff 4. Greg Brittain argued the other way, that special-interest flags in classrooms are a divisive distraction from the core purpose of education 6.

Under items for future agenda Patty Holohan asked where the flag policy stood, and Juan Cabral answered that the board had scheduled a special meeting on March 21 to discuss policies including the flag policy, with the agenda public by March 18 or 19 9; it would run from 1:00 p.m. to a scheduled 5:00 p.m. close as a workshop open to the public 3.

What eventually landed is on the books. BP 6115 – Ceremonies and Observances provides that "No flag other than the United States of America and State of California may be displayed on school grounds or in classrooms, unless it is a country, state, or United States military flag used solely for educational purposes within the adopted curriculum", extending to "posters, digital displays, flyers, and any other related display" 25. The fight ran well past March: speakers were still urging the board to vote no on the flag ban and book banning policies on June 24, 2025 26. KVCR News reported that "The Redlands Teacher's Association (RTA) has filed an unfair labor practices charge against the Redlands Unified School District over the school board's flag ban" 27, and by March 10, 2026 the board was approving a negotiated agreement with the support-staff association over the impacts of BP 6115 28.

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💵 The second interim report

Kirtan Shah, Director of Fiscal Services, presented the second interim financial report 18. The presentation put current enrollment at 19,181, down from 19,553, with average daily attendance rising from 93.3% to 94.4%; LCFF funding falling from $262 million last year to about $256 million; and a projected year-end fund balance of $81 million, including the legally required $11 million reserve for economic uncertainty. Administration recommended a positive certification, meaning the district can meet its obligations for the current year and the two that follow 29.

The board approved and certified the report and adopted Resolution No. 34 for 2024-2025 on due diligence and authorization to commit funds, and approved the 2024-2025 Transportation Plan 30. The same block produced a quiet governance change: the board approved the 2025-2026 meeting dates with a correction — the February 25, 2026 date falls on a Wednesday and was moved to February 24 — and with an instruction to "Change every other meeting to be a board workshop starting July 22" 30.

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🧾 Consent, contracts and bids

Nineteen Business Services consent items moved together 18. The largest commitment was an amendment raising the Boys & Girls Club contract ceiling to $4,500,000.00, reflecting an intended allocation of $1,500,000.00 per school year through June 30, 2026 31 — the contract Greg Brittain had questioned earlier that evening, asking what services were being provided and whether they were monitored 18. Five agreements with the Consortium on Reaching Excellence in Education for literacy coaching at Franklin, Mentone, Mission and Lugonia elementary schools, plus a grade-level teacher-training agreement, total $162,042.86 31 32.

Four bids were awarded: CO2 monitor installation to Emcor Services at $4,040,730.00 under a California Energy Commission CalSHAPE grant; restroom expansion at Orangewood High School to Epsilon Engineering at $468,824.00; network switches to Converge 1 at $439,503.64, which the agenda notes is expected to draw about 80% E-Rate funding; and the Redlands East Valley High School pool replacement to Elegant, an amount both the minutes and the agenda print as $4,250.000.00 32 33. Payment transmittals for the meeting came to $9,170,532.87 32. Educational Services consent sent 17 members of the Redlands High School Mock Trial Blue Team to the state championships and 7 Citrus Valley High School Thespians to the Claremont Colleges 30; on the Human Resources consent calendar the minutes record Patty Holohan abstaining on item XVII.h 34.

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🧭 True North, and nine expulsions

Dr. Robert LaChausse, a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at California Baptist University, introduced the True North drug prevention program, funded by a grant from Healthy East Valley: an online curriculum aimed at reducing alcohol, tobacco and drug use, to be implemented at two high schools and the independent study program with an evaluation of its effectiveness 18. The agenda describes 14 lessons of about 30 minutes for grades 6-12 and ties the program to Education Code 51260 35.

The board took Educational Services action items a through j together — nine student expulsion items and the True North adoption — and approved them, with the minutes recording Michele Rendler abstaining on one item 30. The True North Substance Use Prevention Online Program was adopted for a one-year pilot at the RUSD Independent Study program and one RUSD high school 34.

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👥 Appointments and reports

The board announced two closed-session appointments in open session: Wendy Caress as Principal of Cope Middle School, effective March 12, 2025, at Step 4 of the Management Team Salary Schedule 1, and Raul Chavez as Director of Transportation, effective to be determined, at Step 5 36. Both were in attendance and spoke briefly 2. The board also took action on four release-and-reassign items for employees identified by number, effective the 2025-2026 school year 2 37.

Stephen Caperton delivered the Redlands Teachers Association report: RTA had visited 23 school sites, spoken with hundreds of teachers and surveyed all certificated staff, and preliminary feedback showed support for inclusion but success hindered by a lack of resources, especially paraprofessionals — the district had been short at least 150 paraprofessionals for three years 38. On the recording, the association's report put the case this way: paraprofessionals "are a force multiplier that makes an impossible job merely difficult" 39. Kim Lium reported for the Redlands Administrative Personnel Association on an ACSA Women's Leadership Network event, where the district had the highest attendance in Region 10, and a management breakfast with over 50 attendees 38.

In the afternoon session Kristi Hubbard, Coordinator of Categorical Programs & Educational Support, presented the LCAP board workshop, covering the guiding principles, the four goals for 2025-2026, the funding generators and California Dashboard data; Patty Holohan suggested moving dual immersion to the top of the priority list 1.

Under items for future agenda Candy Olson asked the board to vote on a resolution at the next meeting opposing proposed South Coast AQMD rules, citing more than 5.1 million water heaters affected and an economic burden of over $20.4 billion 9. Melissa Ayala-Quintero asked whether a 5% increase in board compensation would be applied retroactively and requested the item be added to the March 21 meeting 3.