On Thursday, March 20, the Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) Board of Education meeting started with a reflection on the result of the local control and accountability plan (LCAP). The plan has four main goals that address district priorities and eight required state priorities, and each has been fully implemented with a degree of 5’s, with the exception of one subsection of supporting staff to learn about each family’s goal and culture. Each goal is shaped to measure students’ availability and provide teaching and learning environment preparation as well as beyond-graduation support. The data collected to gauge the progression of these goals used information collected from surveys, professional development schedules, and other tools. Though the LCAP reflected a magnificent progression in educational success, many teachers and students voiced their doubtful sentiments.

The Ayala golf team members brought up the first issue on Coach Ron Capps’ boys and girls varsity golf program. Last summer, Ayala’s golf coach informed the team that he would not be able to coach the girl’s team due to the California state teacher retirement system published policy, which requires retired coaches to sit out 180 days before returning. He was set to return as a head coach. In January 2025, he was scheduled to return as he had seen other coaches do in the past.

“However, after filling his 180 days sit-out period, Coach Capps returned to prepare for the boy’s golf season only to be told that he could not coach. He was informed of the new policy requiring retired coachs to sit out 18 months before he can return which was never previously communicated,” Teresa Yao, a Varsity golf team parent said. “As a result, coach Caps was removed as head coach for the boy’s golf team, and Coach Donovan had to step out to fill the role: doing what’s best for the players and for the program.”

She was not alone in protesting against the new sit-out policy. Many concerned students and parents urge the school board to change it, as it demonstrates a disregard for the setbacks it can cause. 

“I asked around to a couple of teachers, and I found out most of the people to date think it’s 180 days, “ Shubi Divine, a concerned parent, said.

Some fear it can force teachers to seek out other districts whose sit-out periods are shorter than that of Chino Valley School District, and the district is at risk of losing valuable coaches who have built the successful program. 

Another matter brought up during the meeting is the student rights violation and campus for environmental safety. As spoken from a teacher’s perspective, the following speech was read by Scott Carter as a spokesperson representative of his colleague’s opinion who couldn’t present due to child care arrangement, which questions the board’s decisions and disregards helping students against discrimination and harm. 

“This board has repeatedly failed to uphold from the harmful attacks on our LGBTQ+ students to the lack of response regarding the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on our campuses the board has consistently acted in ways that threaten our student’s safety other school districts have proactively reassured their families yet here silence prevails the board’s actions have led to an unsafe learning environment,” a teacher said. “Policies are being passed that cultivate hate and discrimination, and as a result, students are feeling unsafe. We have already seen a child physically assaulted due to the hostile environment fostered by these policies. Our students are forced to live in fear not only of being targeted by hate but of being taken away in handcuffs in front of their peers due to forces beyond their control. It is the school board’s responsibility to ensure that information for undocumented students is accessible to all families; additionally, it is the responsibility of the district to train educators and office personnel.”

The primary concerns are centered on sudden policy changes on retired teachers, LGBTQ+ rights, and unsafe learning environments with the removal of students from ICE agents. 

Board member James Na responded that the survey shows 86% of students agree that they feel safe on their campus as opposed to 60% in the LA Unified School District. 

“Communication can be given back in regards to the Ayala coaches, so I shared that with the principal,” Board President Sonja Shaw said. “I want people to know your concerns are our concerns, we don’t just let it go.”