Parents and students tell Bonita Unified board dance-team members were 'exposed, violated,' demand Title IX action

Multiple students and parents told the Bonita Unified School District board on April 8 that a March 2 incident at San Dimas High School left dance-team members feeling "exposed" and "violated" and urged the board to take immediate, transparent action under Title IX.

"Our students felt exposed, violated, and unsafe in a place that was supposed to protect them," parent Yvette Valdina told the board during the meeting's public-comment period. Valdina said several students reported the incident and that families have not seen meaningful action or transparent communication from the district.

Sherry Guerrero, a parent and former Bonita Unified PTA Council board member, said she had previously raised concerns about a makeshift changing area made of sheer curtains and about a teacher repeatedly entering or loitering near the space. Guerrero described the March 2 event as an "invasion of privacy" and urged the board to adopt policies that give administrators the authority and transparency needed to protect students.

Several other parents and a student provided first-person accounts consistent with those concerns. Parent Mario Guerrero said a month had passed with little communication and criticized how school safety staff handled the initial response. Student Natalia Alcantar described a choir teacher standing close to the curtain while she and teammates were changing, saying the teacher "repeatedly told the girl who opened the curtain, that was dumb," and that the experience left students feeling intimidated and violated.

Rochelle Rodriguez, a parent of a dancer, asked the board to consider three steps: reexamine whether students receive appropriate PE/VAPA credit for the hours they commit to the team; remove the teacher involved from the dance room; and ensure Title IX standards and professional-boundary policies are applied even when investigators find no intent.

Another parent, who identified herself as Vanessa, said the district's response lacked urgency and accountability and called for the teacher's removal and clearer measures to prevent similar incidents.

Speakers emphasized the limits that families and students face when an adult with union representation is involved. "The adult involved was protected. He has a union. He has representation. He has a process. But who is protecting our children?" Valdina said.

The board did not announce a public, immediate personnel action on April 8. After the public comments concluded, the meeting proceeded to other closing items and the chair adjourned at 7:20 p.m. The public commenters demanded transparency about the district's investigative findings and clarified next steps; the board did not provide a substantive public update at the meeting on any change in personnel status or disciplinary outcome.

The comments raised questions about the district's processes for handling complaints, whether students receive adequate privacy in practice where temporary changing areas are used, and how Title IX protections are applied in personnel cases involving represented employees. Parents called for clearer written protocols, faster communications to affected families, and safeguards that prioritize student safety during investigations.