The Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) Board of Education convened on Thursday, February 19 for a session at the district headquarters to discuss items including the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), board action items, and listen to public comments. 

The meeting convened 6:01 p.m. with board members Sonja Shaw, John Cervantes, Andrew Cruz, James Na, and Shaun Smith all present. 

LCAP Goals 3 and 4 were discussed, which focused on college and career readiness and support for continuation schools.

“Our student achievement scores on the CASP in English language arts, math, and science have increased and we have met our desired outcome,” Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Luke Hackney said. 

Hackney further emphasized the growth in Advanced Placement performance and college credit attainment, explaining that CVUSD district graduates surpassed state averages. Board members also discussed dual language immersion programs and the continued implementation of LCAP actions to increase multicultural and multilingual pathways within the district. 

After LCAP goals were discussed, Student Board Representative Pheonix Kim (12) highlighted fundraising initiatives, student recognition programs, and campus events, including upcoming benefit concerts and leadership recruitment efforts within the local high schools. 

“Here, students are able to experience government at the local level and see how they serve our community,” Kim said. 

Steven Frazer, representing the Associated Chino Teachers (ACT), addressed the board as well. He discussed appreciation for restoring assistant principal positions and expressed his thanks for educators not dancing reductions in force. Frazer invited families to attend ACT’s parent involvement night.

“Strong site leadership matters, and we’re grateful the district recognized this need and acted on it,” Frazer said. 

Public comments included remarks from community members, parents, and students. Don Lugo High School student Kamdyn Miller (11) expressed his concerns regarding the delayed reopening of the school’s pool. He explained that swim teams had been displaced since renovations began and explained the impact of the dilemma on student-athletes. 

“The other high schools’ programs have been very gracious of us, but we want to be able to return home to our campus and use our pool. It has been a challenge for each of our teams. We are very eager to have the upgrades and equipment that have been seen at the other schools for years now,” Miller said.

Community member Samuel Love addressed concerns regarding the district’s history curriculum. He argued that students should have access to comprehensive and honest history education, specifically highlighting the need to explore cross-cultural experiences and celebrate diversity. 

“The board’s ongoing entitlement-driven ideology, self-righteous, and misguided actions to deprive Chino Valley students the opportunity to learn the true history of this country. And yes, some of it will be uncomfortable. Growth is an uncomfortable process,” Love said 

Chiara Tello, a student council board member at Rhodes Elementary, advocated for transportation policy reform. She addressed attendance statistics, transportation eligibility requirements, and expressed her concerns for students who are unable to access school buses due to distance provisions.

“I believe that changing this policy to 1.5 miles for all elementary grades, kindergarten through sixth grade, would help ensure that students can attend school regularly and safely,” Tello said. 

After public comments, Board Member Andrew Cruz addressed student walkouts due to immigration enforcement. He encouraged students to focus on classroom engagement and to direct their passions toward fostering a learning environment where the necessary skills to pursue advocacy in the future could be developed. 

“When we prioritize activism over education, we risk devaluing the very resource that empowers students to make a lasting impact on the world,” Cruz said.

CORRECTION: A prior version of this article named the student council member as Kiara Benitez. Her name has been corrected to Chiara Tello.