Board directs staff, trustees to refine controversial-issues policy after Supreme Court decision discussion

The Temecula Valley Unified School District Board on Jan. 13 held an extended discussion and public input session on proposed edits to its controversial issues policy (BP 6144) following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor.

Public speakers and trustees disagreed on the scope and language of proposed edits. Some speakers, including teachers and parents, warned that expansive language about "group loyalties and worldviews" and references to gender identity or family structure could chill classroom discussion and overburden teachers with vetting requirements. Others urged the board to add clearer opt-out language for students on religious grounds as the court decision may require. Trustee Jen Wiersma said she drew from multiple policy sources and CSBA guidance and recommended legal review; Trustee Emil Barham argued for a shorter opt-out line rooted in the Mahmoud decision and appealed to trust teachers' professional judgment.

By consensus the board directed Trustees Anderson and Wiersma to work with Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Velez and district counsel (including a plan to confer with outside counsel) to streamline redline edits and prepare a legally reviewed draft for a second reading at a subsequent meeting. Trustee Joseph Komrovsky noted the policy is already in effect and recommended staff-level review and counsel involvement before final adoption.

The board emphasized the policy should balance parental opt-out rights (where law requires) with protections for inclusive curriculum and for teachers' professional judgment. Staff indicated CSBA had provided redline recommendations that informed the draft under discussion.