RUSD Board of Education — May 13, 2025

Meeting Summary

The board approved a censure resolution aimed at one of its own members, and neither the agenda nor the minutes says which one. It then argued over draft policies on library book complaints and classroom flag displays until 12:15 a.m. without acting on either.

⚖️ Resolution No. 46, "Board Member Censure"

The item reached the agenda as a single line under Human Resources Action Items, with no attachment and no further description: "Other – Approve Resolution No. 46, 2024-2025, Board Member Censure" 1. The minutes record the board taking action to approve it on a split vote, "with the edit of 'tell me one more time'" 2.

Neither document names the member censured. The agenda line and the minutes entry carry the resolution by its title alone, the resolution text is attached to neither, and no agenda packet exists for this meeting 12. The record establishes that a censure resolution was put and approved. It does not establish who was censured, and this page does not fill that gap from the recording.

The recording does show how the item moved. It was called up and a motion asked for 3, and the board worked through amendments before it reached the resolution itself: "I just want to make clear that you're not voting on the censure right now. You're just voting on the edits" 4.

Censure ran through the rest of the night. In board comments the minutes record Melissa Ayala-Quintero raising concerns about alleged racism and bullying by board members on social media, calling for censure of members for Brown Act violations related to wearing "Save Girls Sports" shirts during votes, and requesting disclosure of Board Member Olson's involvement with Awake Redlands due to potential conflicts of interest 5. They record Candy Olson denying allegations of harassment and racist remarks made by another member, saying her presence at a track meet was to support athletes, and arguing that two board members wearing matching T-shirts does not constitute a Brown Act violation 5.

The standard a censure measures against is the board's own. Its governance handbook, in the 2025-26 edition, has members pledge to "treat fellow board members, the Superintendent, staff, students, and the public with courtesy and respect, even when (and especially when) we disagree" 6.

📚 AR 1312.2 and BP 6115: a discussion item, not an action

The night's last item was listed as a discussion, not an action: "Policies: AR 1312.2 and BP6115" 1. From the dais the two drafts were introduced as AR 1312.2, Complaints Concerning Library or Media Center Materials, and BP 6115, Ceremonies, Observances, and Flag Displays 7.

The minutes compress the whole item into four sentences. Board members "discussed policies at length expressing their points of view and concerns"; the discussion covered updating AR 1312.2's language "to address concerns around sexually explicit material, while preserving the role of the district review committee", and whether "teachers' personal classrooms spaces can be preserved for non-divisive personal items"; and the policies "will be revised based on the proposed language and be brought back at a future meeting for discussion or potential vote" 8.

The recording fills those sentences in. On the complaint procedure the argument turned on whether a book challenge should be routed through the district review committee first, one view being that the draft should be streamlined so that a challenge "should just go to the district review committee like section two" 9, against the objection that "we don't need to spend money on a review committee when it wastes a lot of resources, a lot of time, and we've seen what the review committee has already done regarding sexually explicit material" 10.

On the flag draft the sticking point was a teacher's own desk area. One member asked for "an exception to a teacher's personal space", saying "I'm not trying to navigate to police our staff's personal space" 11. Another suggested the question "needs to be put in the other thing with negotiations in that area and not in this policy" 13, and that teachers "have the ability to put other things in their personal space that are not divisive" 12.

The minutes record no action on either draft, only that both would be revised and brought back 8. Community Forward Redlands reported that the board advanced the flag policy to a next stage of union negotiation, a step the minutes do not record 14, and reported that the policies "will have to be brought back twice", with negotiations with the teachers' and classified unions to follow if they were approved after a second reading 15.

Both were settled later in the year, away from this meeting. The district's policy manual records BP 6115, Ceremonies And Observances, with an adoption date of July 8, 2025 16, and AR 1312.2, Complaints Concerning Instructional Materials, with a last revision date of August 19, 2025 17.

🗣️ Public comment

Forty-eight people spoke during the comment period for agendized items 1819, and fourteen more during a second community input period that closed before the 9:06 p.m. return to closed session 202122. Of the 48, twelve are recorded supporting AR 1312.2, the flag policy or both; thirty-two are recorded in explicit opposition to one or both; one more opposed what the minutes put in quotation marks as the "book ban" and "flags ban"; and three took no recorded position on the drafts 1819.

Every position below is given as the official minutes record it. The transcript is not used to attach a name to anything said at the podium.

During the agendized comment period

• Pat Molnar spoke about board member censure and professionalism, and about valuing the work librarians do 18.
• Siw Heede read from All Boys Aren't Blue to express opposition to AR 1312.2, and asked about a survey that had been promised in January 18.
• Aster raised concerns about book banning, pride flag banning and trans rights 18.
• Katherine Appleby raised the agreement with Soliant Health Inc. and asked for due diligence, questioned the roughly $15,000 increase to the agreement with Contribute Learning LLC, raised the technology, facility and equipment requirements for the Computer Applications - Gaming Concepts course, raised the new job description for Director of Safety, and opposed the censure, AR 1312.2 and the flag policy 18.
• Michael Paisner opposed the board member censure and opposed both AR 1312.2 and the flag policy 18.
• Lawrence Hebron supported the flag policy 18.
• Rachel Eugley supported AR 1312.2 and the flag policy 18.
• Greg Brittain raised concerns about the discipline items listed on the agenda, and supported the censure, AR 1312.2 and the flag policy 19.

During general community input

• Eriko Grossman raised what the minutes record as concern over Candy Olson's "two-year harassment", emphasized her involvement with a harmful group, accused her of harassing a transgender student and misgendering her online, and urged accountability for Olson and her supporters 20.
• Aya F., who spoke as a Filipino trans student, criticized three members described as straight, white, cisgender women for passing policies the speaker believes harm LGBTQ students without understanding their needs, and described the issue as one of structural power and control rather than differing opinions 20.
• Trisha Keeling called out board members Olson and Wilson for supporting what she described as harmful anti-LGBTQ policies, cited Olson's presence at a Yorba Linda track meet as part of an organized harassment campaign targeting a transgender student, and urged the board to hold members accountable 21.
• Michael Paisner condemned Board Member Olson for attending and promoting a rally held by the California Family Council, a group labeled a hate group by the SPLC, and demanded accountability including a censure 21.
• Christi Rettig called out board members for wearing offensive shirts while voting to restrict student expression, and warned that these actions would be remembered at the next election 21.
• Katherine Appleby raised a possible Brown Act violation, suggesting board members had coordinated their votes in advance as implied by matching T-shirts, and requested an investigation 21.
• Bea Hamilton accused the board of violating the Brown Act by restricting public comments and unevenly enforcing rules, cited intimidation and unequal treatment, and brought an ACLU fact sheet to urge the board to follow the law 21.
• Michael Grossman said he was disappointed the board had merged the book complaint and flag ban agenda items, suggesting it was done to limit discussion 21.
• Dale Broome urged the board to pass the parental notification policy, saying it requires parents to be informed within three days of student-initiated changes to official records and does not force teachers to report or "out" students, and noting it had been revised to reflect a 2024 court ruling in Chino Valley 2118.
• Peter Hall focused on Jazz Jennings, criticized gender-affirming care for minors and questioned parental motivations in such decisions 21.
• Rachel Eugley said the discussions and accusations at the meeting set a poor example for children and argued for logic over emotion 21.
• Greg Brittain warned against what he described as efforts to indoctrinate children while lowering academic standards, and quoted Martin Luther King Jr. in urging the board to act according to conscience 21.
• Matt Appleby offered to use public comment to educate rather than condemn, and explained gender dysphoria by comparing it to common feelings about body image 22.

🧾 Business, personnel and recognitions

• The meeting opened at 3:31 p.m. and adjourned at 12:15 a.m. 238.
• In closed session the board took action to appoint Lisa Nakamura-Bruich as Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources, effective May 14, 2025, at Step 1 of the Cabinet Salary Schedule 23. She was present in open session and thanked the board 24.
• The board also took action to approve a suspension without pay pending dismissal for Classified Employee #2024-25-18, a CNS Assistant I, effective May 15, 2025, with direction to accept a resignation effective the same day in lieu of dismissal if received in time to avoid additional costs to the district 23.
• Resolution No. 45, 2024-2025, on layoffs and/or reduction of classified positions, was adopted, and the board established the position of Director of Safety and Disaster Preparedness and approved its job description, effective May 14, 2025 2.
• Resolution No. 44, 2024-2025, authorizing temporary borrowing between funds of the district, was adopted 25.
• Bid 21-25 for roofing at various sites was awarded to Best Contracting Services Inc., Letner Roofing Co., Rite-Way Roofing Corporation and Southland Roofing Inc., funded by Maintenance and Operations 25. The consent motion corrected a typo in that item: the item as printed reads "$16,466,98.00", and the corrected amount is $16,466,980.00 2625. Bid 12-25 for instructional supplies went to the lowest responsive bidders on the bid matrix 25.
• Payment transmittals 25002336 through 25002515 were approved in the amount of $7,667,246.93 25, and Amendment No. 8 to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department contract for the School Resource Officer was approved at a cost not to exceed $291,680.00 27.
• The Contribute Learning LLC amendment a speaker had questioned adds $15,312.00 for a custom Department of Justice compliance report and related build-out, bringing that agreement to a total not to exceed $50,827.00 27.
• Six expulsions were approved: five stipulated, each through the remainder of the second semester of 2024-2025 with the first semester of 2025-2026 suspended, and one by panel, with the remainder of the second semester and all of the first semester of 2025-2026 suspended 28.
• The superintendent's report told the board the district was finishing its first year under 96 DOJ mandates issued the previous summer, said the district was compliant and a report would come out at the end of the month, and said, "We will recommend that we pull Ethnic Studies curriculum, as the material provided does not clarify that we have created a condensed semester course" 29. The Educational Services consent block was then approved with that item removed 25, and Photography II, Dance II and Computer Applications - Gaming Concepts were approved as new electives for 2025-2026 28.
• Juan J. Cabral recognized 17 retirees 2430, Michele Rendler recognized six student trustees, and Doug McCasey recognized the spring student athletes and the spring CBL champion teams 30.
• Kim Lium reported for the Redlands Administrative Personnel Association on state assessments, AP exams, promotions and graduations, and said RAPA was presenting eight scholarships 29. Patty Holohan reported on the CRY-ROP Evening of Excellence, Michele Rendler on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, and Candy Olson on REP's 37th evening of appreciation 29.

📌 Where this sat in a longer argument

Both drafts and the censure were already before the board three weeks earlier: the minutes of the April 22, 2025 meeting record speakers addressing board member censure, the flag policy, AR 1312.2 and a resolution on fairness in girls' sports in the same comment period 31. The complaint procedure was still contested in August, when the minutes of the August 19, 2025 meeting record Chris Clautice arguing that the revised book policy "constitutes political censorship" and that it "allows any individual to challenge books and extends the evaluation period, resulting in temporary removal from shelves" 32. Coverage that week reported the board approving "a sweeping revision to its library materials complaint policy" on August 19 33.