A San Bernardino County, California school board president, Sonja Shaw, acknowledging a political grudge, grew angered and agitated in front of parents and students attending a school board meeting Thursday, kicking the State Superintendent of Public Instruction out after publicly berating him, accusing him of “proposing things that pervert children,” “blackmail,” and yelling at him that he had supported her opponent for election.
Superintendent Tony Thurmond was at a podium for public speakers at a meeting of the Chino Valley Unified School District school board to weigh in on a controversial proposed policy. If passed, teachers would be required to notify parents within three days, in writing, if their child identifies as transgender or gender non-conforming, asks to be called by a name that does not match school records or their birth certificate, is involved in violence, or talks about suicide, the Daily Bulletin reports.
The proposed policy would also require schools to “notify parents if their child seeks to change their name or pronouns or asks for access to gender-based sports, bathrooms or changing rooms that do not match their assigned gender at birth.”
Speaking at the meeting, Thurmond warned the policy may “not only fall outside of the laws that respect privacy and safety for our students, but may put our students at risk because they may not be in homes where they can be safe –”
His microphone was then cut off without warning.
Shaw then said “time,” three times as Thurmond tried to finish his remarks, according to video (below).
“And I learned something from the previous board president,” Shaw interjected, before raising her voice and ordering students who cheered for Thurmond: “Guys, be respectful.”
“I am going to do a point of order, which I learned from a previous board president,” Shaw continued. “Tony Thurman, I appreciate you being here, tremendously. But here’s the problem. We’re here because of people like you.”
“You’re in Sacramento, proposing things that pervert children,” Shaw shouted, as the students continued to cheer the state superintendent, before she aired her personal political grievances.
“You had a chance to come and talk to me, Tony. By all means you had a chance to come talk to me. Why was it so important for you to walk with my opponent?” Shaw demanded to know. “You are the very reason why we’re in this.”
After being called out by name, Thurmond reproached the podium and attempted to be recognized.
“May I have, as a point of order, as the board –” Thurmond began before Shaw interrupted him.
“This is not your meeting,” she snapped. “You may have a seat because if I did that to you in Sacramento, you would not accept it,” she shouted.
“Please sit,” she added.
“Can I get a point of order?” Thurmond again asked.
“You’re not gonna blackmail us!” said Shaw, shouting again. “You already sent us a blackmailing letter on previous things, you will not bully us here in Chino. Please seat,” Shaw shouted, as Thurmond continued to ask to be recognized.
“We’re gonna take a five-minute break,” Shaw announced before standing up and leaving the room.
The video then shows law enforcement agents speaking with Thurmond.
“They should find a more balanced way to show their respect for private rights that doesn’t trample on the safety and the rights of our students,” Thurmond later told KTVU, while Shaw told the station, “We think he is a danger to our students.”
In the end, the proposed policy passed by a 4-1 vote, and Thurmond was “was led away by security officers to shouts of ‘kick him out.'”
Later on social media Thurmond said, “Tonight I went to a school board meeting to stand up for LGBTQ+ students who invited me to join them as they spoke out against a radical new policy that threatens their safety. When done speaking,the board president verbally attacked me an instructed the police to remove me.”
“I don’t mind being thrown out of a board meeting by extremists. I can take the heat — it’s part of the job. What I can’t accept is the mistreatment of vulnerable students whose privacy is being taken away,” he continued.
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“I ask — if I am forcibly removed from a public school board meeting as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, how are everyday parents and students in Chino Valley Unified supposed to have their voices heard?” Thurmond added.
Watch video of the meeting and KTVU’s report below or at this link.