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Capistrano Unified superintendent and president weigh in on AB 495 and Prop 50; public commenters push back
Summary
Superintendent Chris Brown and Board President Lisa Davis addressed Assembly Bill 495 and President Davis urged opposition to Proposition 50; public commenters at the Oct. 15 meeting criticized partisan remarks from the dais and urged the board to prioritize student-focused policies.
At the Oct. 15 Capistrano Unified School District board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Chris Brown and Board President Lisa Davis addressed recent state policy and a proposed ballot measure that several speakers said had community implications.
Brown told the board he had received parent questions about Assembly Bill 495 and said the version signed by the governor ‘‘does not require us to make any changes to our district processes for securing parent consent or approving an appropriate caregiver to enroll a student in school.’’ He emphasized that changes to legal custody or guardianship still require court orders.
President Davis spoke during trustee reports to urge the community to oppose Proposition 50, which she said would allow mid-decade redistricting that could be used for partisan advantage and could cost the state and counties hundreds of millions to administer. ‘‘This measure threatens the integrity of our elections,’’ she said, arguing it would undermine the independent-redistricting commission and impose large special-election costs she said could otherwise support education programs.
Public commenters reacted sharply. Several speakers told trustees that politics should be kept out of board meetings. Linda Moore said a moment of silence for Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk at a prior meeting was ‘‘highly inappropriate’’ for a public-school board meeting. Linda Haddock and others criticized what they called partisan signals from the dais. Others urged the board to focus on parent-notification policies in response to AB 495 rather than partisan commentary.
Trustees and staff responded by acknowledging the public feedback. Trustees proposed bringing forward a workshop on race and equity following a trustee apology earlier in the meeting. District staff said they would look into parental-notification policy options and return with recommendations where appropriate.
The board did not adopt any formal resolution on Proposition 50 at the meeting; the remarks from President Davis were a public statement from the dais rather than a formal board action.
