Yes to Recall means Yes to Fair and Lawful Conduct
The TVUSD is a public school district and must follow state laws, many of which are in California’s Education Code. Failure to work within the law results in expensive lawsuits and fines against the district from the state. We expect trustees to learn the laws that apply to them and the district and to follow those laws at all times.
Lawsuits and fines
Komrosky passed policies that are against the law, despite cautions from other board members, public speakers at meetings, and attorneys:
His vaguely worded resolution banning CRT “or similar frameworks” resulted in a lawsuit from parents and teachers.
His refusal to adopt K-5 social studies curriculum brought threats of a $1.5 million fine from the state of California.
His parental notification policy was copied from an identical policy in Chino Hills; a Superior Court injunction halted enforcement of the policy there, and California’s Attorney General has notified other districts, including TVUSD, that the policy is against the law.
Parental rights
Had Komrosky taken the time to learn the law, he would know that parental rights are guaranteed by state law (Education Code 51101), TVUSD Board Policies, and TVUSD Administrative Regulations. He has never acknowledged these rights or encouraged parents to exercise them. Instead, his actions show he has his own idea of what “parental rights” should mean:
First, that some parents should be able to limit the curriculum for all students.
He refused to adopt K-5 social studies curriculum because optional supplementary material included a short biography of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist.
His policy against pornography/obscenity/etc. is intended to ban books that offend him and some parents.
However, Ed Code 51101 and Board Policy uphold all parents’ rights to object to learning materials for their own children and request substitute materials.
Second, that school counselors must tell parents if their student wants to use a different name (even a nickname) or pronouns, whether the student agrees or not, and put that information in the student’s record.
He passed this “parental notification” policy at the August 22, 2023 board meeting.
This requirement is against state law (Ed Code 49602).
Religion and public schools
We expect trustees to recognize that church and state are separate in this country. Our country and our community include people of varying beliefs who teach their children these values in the family, places of worship, and private religious schools. The beliefs of one group should not be reflected in public school curriculum or policies.
Fairness
We expect trustees to listen to everyone in the community, consider all sides to any question, respond to requests, and treat everyone with fairness and respect. We also expect trustees to base their decisions on facts.
Komrosky’s behavior as school board president has often been one-sided:
He has been rude to trustees who don’t agree with him, cutting them off in the middle of a comment and refusing to allow discussion.
He has treated individuals who disrupt meetings differently depending on whether they agree with him or not.
Contrary to requirements of The Brown Act—the California law that controls local board members, meetings, and communications—at one meeting he arbitrarily threw out everyone sitting on one side of the meeting room, although only a few were disruptive.
Komrosky must go.
We expect trustees to know the law and follow the law. We expect them to act fairly and consider points of view other than their own.
We expect trustees to consult attorneys only when necessary, not for everything they want to do that might be illegal. The solution is simple: Don’t do anything illegal!