[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6269476,"mediaKeyId","3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c","parentId",3042760,"title","Board approves multiple routine consent items, personnel actions and expulsions; minutes and agenda adopted","audioSeconds",5733,"startMs",70000,"endMs",5803000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c&start=70&end=5803","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c/thumbnail_70000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6269476/California/Board-approves-multiple-routine-consent-items-personnel-actions-and-expulsions-minutes-and-agenda-adopted","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6269476-6f40f2333369d22d4bf25dd1fcfa5cbe/orig.mp4?Expires=1771153576&Signature=JdeMkvNzcNg9ZR78iZLBxr27APVDsM7FCJkmjBt-lb4Ot-~i1I9~UtVH~iqqtMH4GX5w7utMjwF5om00ubHLDINE-UMHLeGKez8MG8Z6ha3zgxkAMTmAS0FeHHYDSFaPPG2aAQ5ZyKZBRSE2JBB2xWf0M4w-pvbOO70aSzaw~sRW7zi0Hblov9glFATItMGoiK~PqfuedL6MotXqkE--mewnoGsOOJytwZAtV9KjcCvpsuASXIFAWtHODsxjamUjt5F1FlKiyloaacu-OAFhPGIlmjudLA8jjnf9u5x97DDekk~5JS230QNQCrbqOXETAcnq1h5xyjMa8vPfCxABvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Desert Sands Unified School District","date","2025-04-17T21:17:02.56Z","article","The Desert Sands Unified School District Board of Education approved routine minutes and its meeting agenda and passed multiple grouped consent items and resolutions at its April 15, 2025 regular meeting.

Early in the meeting trustees moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of March 18, 2025, and the special meeting of March 20, 2025; the motions carried as recorded on the roll calls. The board also approved the agenda for April 15, 2025.

In a group of business-services and facilities motions trustees approved multiple contract recommendations and construction-related items (items 18.4 and 18.6–18.11) after discussion about local subcontractor use. For the grouped items, the board recorded the motion as carrying 5–0 with one preferential vote.

Trustees voted on resolutions and grouped educational-services items (18.1–18.3, 22.1–22.2). Roll-call vote language in the record shows each of these motions carrying by recorded votes (frequently recorded as “aye” by individual trustees) and routinely reported as “motion carries 5 0 with 1 preferential vote” where noted in the minutes.

Personnel actions: The board approved several certificated and classified retirements (certificated retirees included Maxine Cobb, Enrique Davalos, Pamela Lapointe, Terrence Lee, Kathleen Olmstead, Sarah Salentic and Mark Weinstein; classified retirees included Daniel Capello, Madhu Desai, Charles Horner, Adi Corti, Frederick Leager, Gloria Maciel, Janine Middleton, Maria Palayo, Jose Reyes, Terry Sabatello, Marcelo Via Jr. and Edelmira Yanez). Retirements and other personnel items were approved in motions where the student board member did not vote when appropriate; the record shows the motions carried.

Closed session actions: The board announced several stipulated-expulsion decisions and reported that it approved multiple stipulated-expulsion orders in closed session by motions recorded as carried (several items listed as “motion carried 5–0” and one as “four-zero with 1 abstention”). The board also announced closed-session appointments of certificated and classified management: Joshua Duvall (assistant principal, Glenn Middle School), Michael Williams (assistant principal, Horizon Summit), Michelle Sherland (principal, Carter Elementary), Anthony Abney (principal, Earhart Elementary) and Justin Spinks (payroll supervisor). Those appointments were reported as approved unanimously in closed session.

Other routine grouped consent items — educational services, student support services, superintendent items and business services — were approved in blocks with the standard roll-call format. When votes were taken the clerk called roll and trustees answered “aye,” and the record repeatedly shows motions carrying either unanimously or by the reported tally.

Where the record shows a specific departure from approval, the board addressed it separately; for example, the district withdrew and tabled bid package 22 (electrical) for Shadow Hills High School Phase II after concerns about subcontractor prequalification and approved the remainder of the Phase II packages.

The board set future meeting dates and adjourned the regular meeting at 8:55 p.m.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regular Board Meeting of April 15, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Trustees approved minutes, the meeting agenda and many grouped consent items, adopted several resolutions and approved personnel actions and stipulated expulsions in closed session. The board also approved multiple contract and business items, with numerous motions carrying by recorded tally.","taxTitle","Desert Sands Unified, School Districts, California","taxId",14152,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6269480,"Public commenters urge trustees to reconsider land acknowledgment and question Alder GSE program's DEI focus",337,1939000,2276000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c&start=1939&end=2276","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c/thumbnail_1939000.jpg","/articles/6269480/California/Public-commenters-urge-trustees-to-reconsider-land-acknowledgment-and-question-Alder-GSE-programs-DEI-focus","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6269480-4654cfcebb623b76ab1a96e4d651b593/orig.mp4?Expires=1771153576&Signature=XqEUbYMdvVKpoPVTyzNHMBl2a1vIapS3~smP2565jiPFo97SdnFzWrFXXdx136~u07JqccwSZIC78Vsdn-xiaYrVqNjXHvLakoE0FSzsQY~cUhxnGJzuU6ZL3n3dgP9HpEsGbvhgtv2fIrzb15TnUmuWU2Js1Vb6Zql0iRXNUjB1TYHNKiiAIdhWtn0phiaSnBAEFCAvXsf8KIxtoPt1U~LYAJXU4Jl7k~kV4xZFLmYqGEj4bFOXICY1XP6k1hg-YV79cOxqPOstgNqXL2CM9QhoqKqWn9cx9~Bqrvr34Lrf81YulOdsl8829iL4FJXWoW5g3mkdMEqG42iIz-R-Pw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Two members of the public used the board’s comment period Wednesday to press trustees on the district’s land acknowledgment and to raise objections to a proposed partnership with the Alder Graduate School of Education (Alder GSE), saying the program emphasizes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) language and shortens traditional training timelines.

At the start of public comment, Dori O’Toole criticized the district’s land acknowledgment — read earlier in the meeting — and said she wanted an explanation for how the practice was adopted. “I as a citizen of The United States take free defense to it,” O’Toole said, asking the board to explain the policy and why it appears before the Pledge of Allegiance in meetings.

Later, another speaker, identified in the transcript as a commenter who provided materials and earlier warnings, raised concerns about a proposed Alder GSE partnership the district was preparing to vote on. The speaker said the program’s admission materials and exhibits require applicants to “demonstrate a commitment to DEI tenants” and said course objectives include directing trainees to “identify, locate problems” and “bring students and families to activism.” The commenter said the 34-unit, one-year program they reviewed differed from traditional multi-year teacher-preparation programs and expressed concern it could “fast track” educators and include home visits and sensitive family questions.

The speakers urged trustees to read the program curriculum and supporting exhibits before taking action and said they would file complaints with outside agencies if they believed federal rules or executive orders might be violated.

Board members did not take immediate action in response to the two public comments. Trustees acknowledged the comments and allowed their statements into the record; staff and the board did not debate or vote on the Alder GSE item during the public-comment period. The board’s bylaws governing public comment and timing were read into the record earlier in the meeting (Bylaw 9323 and Bylaw 9232.2 were cited as the rules governing public comments and agenda limitations).","Two public speakers criticized the district’s land acknowledgement and raised concerns about the proposed Alder GSE (Graduate School of Education) partnership, saying the program fast-tracks teachers and centers diversity-equity-inclusion learning objectives; speakers urged trustees to review curriculum and federal compliance.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6269485,"Parent tells board her 7-year-old special-needs son walked off Oliphant Elementary; asks for accountability and protocols",201,2440000,2641000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c&start=2440&end=2641","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c/thumbnail_2440000.jpg","/articles/6269485/California/Parent-tells-board-her-7-year-old-special-needs-son-walked-off-Oliphant-Elementary-asks-for-accountability-and-protocols","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6269485-b50a499af537d06bd082e9b120ae60c1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771153576&Signature=AAabPxbxlkD5cgjAD3UutnLYYGjJaqb-ZBHe-c2Ug2hdA0STS-QGwlDVH4ZuSQaD5qdrpsHkrnJP~D9QcJ4hvwoF1PpG0aTOFNyXU06R6BsFDn~PjrwHw0gN~Znnjzcb-x1b0lPJS9WvzGO2z-W-q4dvCGW0xI7XbisINrMB8LKLFQJKwWunBNTKpeMH72bF7n2ORQ05KMEjOw9-NH4n8UTqhH98MniYiot29IIS~mgjsI5mLmCJShHEI5IUnsjbWNDxILzQ3mopw218ux6Ud7n0xRUkweh7P62CVfboGq6UB3gKuaaJet1FMIFqLBZu-6wJfxLMB81gxql40A6eJA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A Desert Sands Unified parent told trustees Wednesday that her 7-year-old special-needs son twice left Oliphant Elementary without staff supervision and walked home alone, and she urged the board to require clearer protocols and accountability for such incidents.

“He walked over a mile home by himself, and no staff notified myself, my husband, or the police,” the mother, Marcelino, said. She said the family first learned their son had left school when the son’s teacher told the husband who was picking up a sibling; the mother said she then had to call police and file a report. She said this was the second time such an incident had occurred.

Marcelino said she felt excluded from follow-up after the first incident and found the principal’s response dismissive after the second event. She described a conversation with Oliphant Principal Jeff Heskin that she said included a comment to the effect that the principal could not “guarantee the safety of all the children here at the school.”

“I wasn't it wasn't until I contacted assistant superintendent Laura Fisher that I got real action, and I was taken serious,” she told the board. She said Fisher helped arrange for her son to have a student aide after school. Marcelino said she also filed a notice with the Americans with Disabilities Act office to ensure protections for her child.

She asked trustees for three specific steps: that Principal Jeff Heskin face “serious consequences” for repeated negligence, that the district implement or enforce a clear protocol for when a student is lost or leaves campus unsupervised, and that special-needs students receive appropriate supervision and family communication.

Board President Kylie Watson asked staff to follow up. Trustees and staff said they would pursue direct follow-up with the family; at one point a board member instructed staff to get someone to follow up with the parent, and staff acknowledged receiving the request.

The parent’s remarks were made during the public-comment period; trustees did not take immediate disciplinary action on the record during open session but asked staff to report back and address the safety and communication concerns directly with the family.","A parent described two separate incidents in which her 7-year-old son with special needs left Oliphant Elementary unsupervised and walked home; she said the principal was dismissive and that she sought help from assistant superintendent to secure support for her son, and she asked the board to require stricter protocols and accountability.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":46,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6269489,"Board tables electrical bid package for Shadow Hills High Phase II after bidder-prequalification questions",3521,2282000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c&start=2282&end=5803","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c/thumbnail_2282000.jpg","/articles/6269489/California/Board-tables-electrical-bid-package-for-Shadow-Hills-High-Phase-II-after-bidder-prequalification-questions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6269489-66868f8c2dd05ebaa32834a9c388e505/orig.mp4?Expires=1771153576&Signature=SRvOoQUIZoUzQq2ED6BT-smdMln~6LQgf5zo0Qu10hly0PDfrvwEDHeN35829-J1Mm7FUSHTLowqlPZ7MD8ZEEDFI55DFiXAOlKtVwOasoSvnuvUhlH~6p6Ux2em6SUZE6FOaeVw9jRUPhecGVtuJruatyx0tWkE-NQKWKdbmrkvqxIESoI6xN5mhUyB32xXZq2KCrVskQ5v4es9cdQPWaTQLtD8uZAzvGc1uaZzsmNnoBIYhOFFKI15jhUVZVl0I6hTNGBOl56ZVnUYlktgDlW6TJG9haKQ0rRWXwUg8X1sZCNpLHpuwaT-Tz-4mWj317ZexzKStQAm13vrXoRPFw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Desert Sands Unified School District board voted Wednesday to table bid package 22 — the electrical subcontract for the Shadow Hills High School Phase II project — after contractors and district staff raised conflicting information about whether the listed subcontractor, Time and Alarm, was prequalified to bid.

At public comment, Catherine (Catherine) Figueroa of Southern California West Coast Electric told the board her firm was the apparent low bidder for the electrical category and said the district’s rejection notice was inaccurate because Time and Alarm provided a prequalification letter dated May 1, 2024, that stated the company’s status was good for one year. “Based on this letter, Time and Alarm’s prequalification…is good through May 2025,” Figueroa said, and she asked the board to reconsider rejecting all bids and to award the project to her company.

Later in the meeting, staff briefed trustees about the apparent discrepancy in the prequalification documents and the bid-rejection recommendation. Deputy staff noted the letter provided was generic and referenced prequalification for a different project site, which created confusion about whether Time and Alarm’s prequalification covered the Shadow Hills wrestling-room bid package. The District’s construction lead explained that rejecting the entire package could delay the wrestling-room work that was estimated to be completed by December and could push work beyond next season.

Trustees agreed to remove the rejection of bid package 22 from the approval motion and to table package 22 to the next meeting while staff investigates. Trustee Alvarez moved to table the package and approve the remaining Phase II packages; the motion carried by the board’s recorded tally. The board asked staff to include clarifying information about the prequalification status in the district’s Friday update.

District staff said that tabling the electrical package preserves options: if prequalification documentation is confirmed, the district may proceed without re-bidding; if not, the district would need to reissue the package for bids.

Trustees approved the rest of the Phase II contract recommendations in the consent group and asked for prompt written clarification of the subcontractor prequalification window.

Action on the bid package was carried with the board instructing staff to return with verified documentation at the next board meeting.","Trustees voted to table bid package 22 for the Shadow Hills High School Phase II electrical subcontract after staff and contractors disputed whether an identified subcontractor was prequalified; board approved the remainder of the Phase II packages and asked staff to provide clarifying documentation.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6269495,"Desert Sands board hears AVID presentation highlighting districtwide expansion and student outcomes",4152,535000,4687000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c&start=535&end=4687","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3042760-f09ac3aaea9632d64c70f11c0781c36c/thumbnail_535000.jpg","/articles/6269495/California/Desert-Sands-board-hears-AVID-presentation-highlighting-districtwide-expansion-and-student-outcomes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6269495-ae185240ccbaa3be38b1649d90aea7fc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771153576&Signature=JMgFGcS6OQ3dZReH7TdNVeVtea0xSqK4tR~mP4lQmDpr4EIHACgnjlvWt94NKip6fyloO7x2zV3hDDaYs2Z9paDxxa6WlZxq-wZJd7ygrhkh5zamYgJFvvA52LTSLkfWMKtQa7WnBB6GK5j6hSkK-iOJ~9wXKnFU-5nCu4Ng2Opqx7ogUJRKdMXlF1~l87oAY0C2bAr32ZWV74hWvE1Kqk87~jx5BbEZ6JHuEaNFXjCZIYvQk5vSKAZCBvu5WXj26vnvZmBWK7zRqjeu9HdYef2WYWDMIThfQAN3y4ZflHNGmepSPNQz2biTNULXUbQ9vHOaRz2GPXE0q49fW7FywA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Desert Sands Unified School District officials presented the board with an update on the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) college-and-career readiness program Wednesday, saying the program now operates at all but four elementary schools and serves more than 2,500 elective students in 2024–25.

The presentation from AVID district leaders Carrie Penny and Veronica Amezcua said AVID’s footprint in the district reached 10,253 students this school year and emphasized professional development for teachers, AVID routines in classrooms, peer tutoring and increased access to AP, IB and dual-enrollment coursework.

“The AVID elective…is the catalyst for college and career readiness,” Penny said, adding that AVID-aligned professional development and weekly goals help prepare students for rigorous coursework. The presenters said 42 in-house trainings were delivered this year and that AVID training reached elementary teachers at a 97% rate over five years; secondary training stood at 64%.

Board members and district leaders pressed AVID presenters on measurable outcomes and praised the work. Trustee Forrest Duran said he had visited demonstration schools and called the program’s positive effects “the key difference.” Trustee Porras and others commended the training and student supports reflected in the data.

AVID staff presented multiple outcome measures they said indicate program impact: higher attendance in AVID middle-school cohorts compared with peers, increases in underrepresented student enrollment in AVID electives (African American enrollment from 6.5% to 10%; homeless students from 5% to 9%), greater likelihood of AVID students taking and passing AP/IB exams, and a higher persistence rate for first-year college enrollment for the class of 2024.

Presenters highlighted site-level initiatives such as career days and 30-plus college trips that they said improved “opportunity knowledge” for students. Penny pointed to individual successes, including students who earned a perfect IB score and a district graduate who won a Dell scholarship.

The board and presenters closed with recognition from AVID Riverside County and the AVID Center; board members expressed appreciation for the program’s professional development and its role in raising student aspirations.

AVID leaders did not request a board vote; the presentation was informational and was followed by board comments and applause.","District AVID leaders told the board the program now enrolls more than 2,500 elective students and reaches 10,253 students districtwide in 2024–25, citing improved attendance, AP/IB participation and college persistence for AVID participants.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves multiple routine consent items, personnel actions and expulsions; minutes and agenda adopted

Public commenters urge trustees to reconsider land acknowledgment and question Alder GSE program's DEI focus

Parent tells board her 7-year-old special-needs son walked off Oliphant Elementary; asks for accountability and protocols

Board tables electrical bid package for Shadow Hills High Phase II after bidder-prequalification questions

Desert Sands board hears AVID presentation highlighting districtwide expansion and student outcomes