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Teachers and classified staff urge district not to transfer Granite Hills mental‑health therapist
Summary
Multiple Granite Hills staff and community members asked the board to intervene after the district announced a transfer of the school's mental‑health therapist, saying the move would disrupt care, programs and trust built with students.
Several staff members and community members urged the Apple Valley Unified School District board on Oct. 2 to reconsider a proposed transfer of Granite Hills High School’s mental‑health therapist, saying the change would disrupt student care and remove an established campus resource.
“My name is JC Scott,” said a classified‑staff member speaking in public comment, and he described Angela Rincon as a “lifeline” for students at Granite Hills who has built trust and programs that support students’ mental health. Michelle Pena, a Granite Hills school secretary, recounted five years of programs and services Rincon organized — including mental‑health fairs, guest speakers, student clubs and burnout‑prevention work for staff — and said the short notice of the transfer deprived students of an ethical warm handoff.
Teacher Karen Post read a personal poem in public comment and called the district home; she urged the board to act to keep the therapist and the programs she leads at Granite Hills. Commenters framed their appeal as a student‑safety and continuity‑of‑care issue rather than a personnel grievance alone.
The board’s public materials list personnel action items (appointments, transfers and leaves) in closed session under item B4; the district announced in open session that closed session would consider public employee discipline/dismissal/transfer matters. The board did not take a public vote on the Rincon transfer during open session on Oct. 2.
Board members acknowledged the speakers and said they would consider the concerns. Superintendent Trini Nelson and other district staff did not state in the public transcript that the transfer would be reversed; the record shows community and staff appeals were made during the public‑comment period and that the personnel item was listed for closed‑session consideration.
Next steps: The transfer and any final personnel action are matters of closed‑session personnel procedures. Members of the public who raised the issue requested that the board and the superintendent provide greater notice and, when changes are made, a plan for continuity of student services.
