Temecula School District Staff Cut Lights and Video During Public Board Meeting

The following is a press statement the Globe received Friday:

The intense battle over parental rights in California’s schools took another dramatic turn at Tuesday’s Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) Board meeting.

In clear violation of the Board’s procedural rules, two Board members silenced fellow Trustee and Presiding Officer Jen Wiersma as they walked off the dais in the middle of a public hearing, with staff cutting the video feed and turning off the lights on the assembled crowd.

Presiding Officer Wiersma was in the middle of presenting a letter to the public clarifying the legal status of the TVUSD’s parental notification policy when the hearing abruptly ended.

Wiersma stated, “It’s shocking that my duty to provide oversight as an elected official was canceled due to an opposing viewpoint on the part of my colleagues up for re-election.” “I wrote a letter to provide transparency on the conflicting communication regarding our legal parental notification board policy between the California Department of Education (CDE) and a recent ruling from a superior court judge who validated the board policy on parental rights. I’m within my legal authority to provide accurate information to the public even as my colleagues try to bury it,” she added.

“The silencing of a duly elected board member raises serious questions about the state of local governance and the rights of parents to be fully informed about policies that directly impact their children,” said one concerned parent who witnessed the meeting.

Background

Past district communications have led to confusion among TVUSD staff and students about their rights and protections due to conflicting messages with a CDE determination declaring the policy discriminatory while a recent ruling from a Court judge affirmed parents in the policy stating, “the district’s purpose in involving parents in the decision-making process and restoring trust is furthered by mandatory parental notification…”

After nearly thirty minutes of public comment was heard on the agendized item to send a letter from Jen Wiersma to parents and teachers clarifying the legal status of the policy, board members Steve Schwartz and Allison Barclay, currently standing for re-election, abruptly interrupted the reading of the letter and theatrically stormed out of the building ending the quorum. District staff cut the lights and video feed, left the room and refused to listen to Wiersma’s views opposing the CDE and Superintendent Woods unilaterally stripping policy from the parental notification policy without a majority vote of the school board.

As a result of the public recording being terminated without officially being adjourned by the Presiding Officer and Clerk, Jen Wiersma, the superintendent left the dais, and the lights were turned off, leaving Wiersma and remaining attendees in the dark- both literally and figuratively.

This unexpected turn of events has only deepened concerns about the transparency of the decision-making process within the Temecula Valley Unified School District. AB1955 which prohibits requiring school employees from disclosing information related to a stu-
dent’s gender identity without the student’s consent, has been at the center of the parental rights debate.

Critics argue that the bill infringes on the fundamental rights of parents to be involved in critical aspects of their children’s lives. With the law not set to take effect until 2025, the legality and future of AB1955 remains uncertain as it faces legal challenges from multiple school districts and the Orange County Board of Education.

In the meantime, the actions at least night’s TVUSD Board meeting suggest that the battle over parental rights in California is far from over ~and that even local school board members are not immune to being silenced.

Jennifer Wiersma can be found on X @realjenwiersma