Hoards — masses of red and black, tinted signs and chirping whistles, decorated the sidewalk on Walnut Street representing hundreds of years of cumulative teaching experience concentrated to two concrete paths. Bullets of rain poured down on teachers and staff and with it, perhaps, washed away any doubt that educators wouldn’t be taken seriously.
On the evening of March 7, Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) board members congregated at Woodcrest Junior High School in Ontario for the first board meeting of March, two weeks after the first wave of Associated Chino Teacher (ACT) aggravations were voiced at the district office.
From now-pouring rain, teachers and parents corralled into the auditorium; murmurs of the crowd demonstrated that they expected this exorbitant concentration of emotion to entice an interesting afternoon, and such expectations were quickly fulfilled. Board members took their seats, and introductory announcements from new district appointees tempered the angst-filled air from erupting.
Still, audience members kept their composure as student representative Chloe Kubeldis (12) gave community student news, all before a personal statement concerning teacher collective action and the environment they’ve cultivated from their years of dedication to students. Educators erupted in chants and jeers of support, a “passion” unto board members that was seldom released before that night; some yelled, some laughed; most stayed standing.
“Chloe! Chloe! Chloe!” from one side of the room.
“A.C.T.! A.C.T.! A.C.T.!” from the other.
And the night had only just begun.
An ineffectual warning from Board President Sonja Shaw prompted another uproar. Various teachers tried their luck at a standing assailment and were promptly escorted out of the building.
ACT Head Representative Steven Frazer of Ayala High School took the podium in a calculated speech, detailing every conceptual demand that has yet to be fulfilled, with the crowd of over 300 standing with him. At once, he spoke; soon, they all did.
One after another, public comments impugned board members without remorse, none more than president Shaw. Attacks on Shaw’s anti-union associations, characterizations of teachers as “groomers,” among other things, circulated the venue and elicited a consistent applause in response.
Other parents, those who stood strongly with American flags, all delivered the same message on the stand to “sign the petition” on protectourkidsnow.org, a petition to increase parental control over their children in public school systems. Unlike the common theme from throughout the night, support for Shaw was resounding from parents who felt that their rights were not being respected.
Criticism of the behavior of teachers throughout the meeting was consistent and, by chance, due to a misinterpretation of fervor from grievances long withheld.
Either way, students and teachers from across the district addressed every possible opening for criticism with enflamed comments for the majority of the time. Towards the end, comments about a “redirection of funds” from pro-Palestine groups outside district authority had to themselves be consistently redirected and seemed to muddle the energy that was curated from previous speakers. Still, public comments ensued for a 45-minute stretch.
After 36 consecutive speakers, the next item on the agenda was II.A.I., the new board policy and administrative regulation, and 22 new speakers. A flurry of comments on the “outing policy,” one that has been alleged to marginalize vulnerable students, catalyzed strong opinions, all while highlighting another pressing issue within CVUSD.
The night began to draw out, the same words reiterated in new orders, and the seats gradually emptied. Still, business was run as usual, the final proceedings finished the somber night born from a scornful dusk. Board members gave final thoughts, and the remnants of the last evening hour marked the end of the March 7 CVUSD board meeting in Ontario.
While processions will continue to take place over the coming weeks and months, the pervasive issue harming teachers and students will continue to be the concern of ACT as they take collective action against the district bargaining team. In a resolution that feels bleaker by the day, the community’s hope is that a mutual agreement will be made before the mediated April 16 meeting with ACT.
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