Redlands school employee unions are turning to the state in an effort to block a controversial school board policy to remove flags other than the United States, California and military flags from classrooms.
The Redlands Teachers Association and the Redlands Education Support Professionals Association — the classified employees union — filed an unfair labor practice charge against the Redlands Unified School District with the state Public Employment Relations Board over the policy.
In a letter posted on Instagram, association President Stephen Caperton said the policy “constituted a unilateral change to our working conditions that the district was required by law to negotiate in good faith.”
Caperton wrote that the district would not negotiate the “substance of the policy” and focused conversations on the impact it would have on members.
“The refusal to bargain with the language of the policy denies every RTA member their right to negotiate guaranteed under the law,” Caperton wrote.
In Thursday, Aug. 28, statement, Redlands Unified officials said they were aware of the action and respect the union’s decision.
“As a District, we remain committed to maintaining open lines of communication and to working in good faith with both of our employee associations,” spokesperson Christine Stephens wrote in the statement.
Redlands Unified values the dedication of teachers and staff and will continue to collaborate with unions and community, she wrote.
Caperton further said the policy was vague, overly broad, creates fear among teachers that they will be punished for engaging in protected speech and could potentially prevent the association from organizing.
Caperton said in a Friday, Aug. 29, interview that the union was meeting with its attorney next week and would then learn the next steps in the complaint process.
He said the union is keeping its legal avenues open regarding other controversial policies passed by the school board, including a library policy that makes it easier to take sexually explicit books off library shelves.
Together for Redlands, a community watchdog group opposed to the flag policy, posted the letter from the teacher’s union in a Tuesday, Aug. 26, Instagram post.
“Together for Redlands stands in solidarity with the hard working teachers who are fighting everyday to provide an excellent education to Redlands students and families.” the post states.
The post alleged that several recent policies passed by the board are illegal and expensive and that the complaint was just the beginning.
“We have seen how these policies have drained schools in Chino and Temecula through legal fees,” Trisha Keeling, executive director of the group, said in a Thursday, Aug. 28, text message. “Now that they have passed three of them; the union is rightfully fighting back and now our district will be spending unnecessary money litigating through PERB.”
She alleged that school board President Michele Rendler, and members Jeannette Wilson and Candy Olson were more interested in culture wars than Redlands students and that the policies were illegal and fiscally irresponsible.
“The policy infringes on their protected speech,” Keeling said. “Our teachers deserve our respect and gratitude and this policy does neither.”
The district policy states that the board’s goal “is to maintain a patriotic, safe, appropriate and welcoming environment.”
The policy has been seen in other Inland Empire school districts and has landed some in court.
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 OK’d its flag policy in 2023.
