The Redlands school board is set to vote Tuesday, May 13, on the censure of board member Melissa Ayala-Quintero, discuss rules to ban most flags and make removing “obscene” books from library shelves easier.
A censure of Ayala-Quintero was proposed at the board’s April 22 meeting by board member Candy Olson, who alleged that Ayala-Quintero lunged at her during a heated April 8 meeting.
Trustees voted 3-2 to consider the censure of Ayala-Quintero, with President Michelle Rendler and members Jeanette Wilson and Olson voting yes. Board member Patty Holohan and Ayala-Quintero were opposed.
A censure is a formal reprimand by other board members but does not remove or otherwise affect the board member’s position.
A neutral classroom policy was originally introduced in January and returned at a March workshop. The policy would ban all flags from classrooms except the California state flag, the United States flag and military flags.
A book policy was proposed later at the workshop. The proposal would streamline the process of pulling books from shelves. Under the proposed policy, if a book is determined to be “obscene,” it would be removed within three days and be subject to a school board hearing.
At the time, the board directed administrators to adjust the policies and start negotiations with the teachers union.
Some have called the proposals a “copy and paste” of those passed by other school districts, which landed those school systems in legal trouble.
The Temecula school board passed a similar flag policy in 2023, but rescinded it in December after a California Public Employment Relations Board ruling found that implementing the policy violated the state Educational Employment Relations Act.
The Chino Valley school board passed a flag ban in June 2023 and a similar book policy in March 2024.
The Redlands school board meeting is at 5 p.m. at the district office, 25 W. Lugonia Ave.
