Conejo Valley Unified School District:
The Parent's Perspective
GOALS
To bring community awareness that helps lead to improvements in current district practices.
To petition for change in policies that HAVE or may cause to any child.
To provide discussion points for parents to make decisions based on evidence.
To expose the truth about incumbant leadership.
To support teachers, admin and staff commited to including parents on ALL policies regarding thier children.
To promote a public school system committed to teaching core standardized subjects.
To promote pubic schools with age-appropriate curriculum.
To present evidence on potentially misleading and decietful practices in our school leadership.
To petition for healthy learning environments free from bullying and harassment for any reason.
To present and provide evidence on what HAS happened to families in CVUSD.
TO PROTECT ALL CHILDREN FROM HARM
Accountability and oversight has been long overdue in this district. We the parents, are the only ones capable of this in our community. We need to turn the ship back in the right direction by sharing what is really happening in this district, the good and what needs improvement. There is still much good in CVUSD, soley because of the educators and admin that truly strive for these things. The Superindendents and the board have done more damange in the last 5 years than most would believe possible, but it is not too late. Parents we can shift this when we stand together.
CURRENT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
LAUREN GILL
CONEJO VALLEY USD BOARD TRUSTEE
Our assertion is that Lauren Gill's position as a board trustee demonstrates that she favors only progressive and liberal policies in our district. Despite consistent feedback from both teachers and parents, she has persistently advocated for and implemented controversial curriculum and policies into CVUSD, some of which she pushed limiting parental notifications. Evidence will be shown, therefore you can have the facts to see if you approve of the position this "trustee" brings for YOUR children or not.
KAREN SYLVESTER
Conejo Valley USD Board Trustee
Karen Sylvester also has a proven track record of consistently voting for only progressive and liberal policies and curriculum in school board meetings. She has record of supporting others that push for these progressive agendas. Evidence will be shown, therefore you can have the facts to see if you approve of the position this "trustee" brings for YOUR children or not.
Lauren Gill: CVUSD Board Trustee
FAILING ACADEMICS and BUDGETS
CVUSD has been known for "academic excellence" and for providing a well-rounded education, but we see here Mrs. Gill is misrepresenting data and misleading you about the true state of our schools by reporting graduation rates as success instead of test scores. Our children are falling behind academically, while the Board just increased the superintendent's salary and benefits to over $400K per year! They cut crucial positions like PE teachers and classroom aides, all while asking parents—many of whom are already struggling financially—to contribute even more to support the bare minimum resources for their children. With Deputy Superintendent of Business Services, Victor Hayek forecasting bleak budgets, we are asked to dig deeper into our pockets (or worse ask their teachers to buy items out of their own pockets) to cover basic classroom necessities. How does this make sense for the unanimous vote to approve a new 6 yr contract with an unprecedented salary for Superintendent Mark McLaughlin. Are you OK with this unanimous board vote? WE ARE NOT! It is fiscal irresponsibility and they need to be held accountable, including Victor Hayak, Deputy Superintendent, Business Services. Conejo Valley USD received and EXTRA 26 million dollars in covid money...where did that go? It's time we need to demand fiscal responsibility for our children! Given the substantial taxes and funding directed to California schools over the decades, why are we still being asked for more? Is this a result of failing leadership and gross mismanagement of funds? Do you think it's time to hold them accountable for inflating payrolls in a financially failing district. This Board’s priorities seem to be alarmingly misguided, evident in their funneling of funds into positions unrelated to academic improvement. Recently, CVUSD ADDED an Assistant Superintendent of Mental Health and Wellness Services, some of which is good, BUT with a substantial focus on increasing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) at over $200K per year is this appropriate financially? Maybe, but we need to look further at the focus vs cost. Then what about this, another recent hire is solely for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at $150K+ per year. What if that $150 plus was given to our teachers for supplies? For the sake of our children, enough is enough!
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Are There "Pornographic" Books in Our Schools?
Lauren Gill has been very outspoken and unashamed on her OPPOSITION to place asterisks next to a book with graphic child rape and other extreme violence that has been board approved curriculum (The Bluest Eye). Question parents should ask is why would anyone want to EXCLUDE parental knowledge of this in a school? Why has she fought so hard to keep parents in the dark and uninformed about the content of this CVUSD approved book, "The Bluest Eye"? There are 140+ copies at Westlake HS, which lends us to implys that it is most likely mandatory reading in an English class. This is only one example of books with adult content allowed in our schools. This is not about "banning books", this is about approving age-appropriate reading materials for children. At bare minimum, why would she not support informing parents about the controversial topics in the curriculum? Maybe as adults we understand that what may be a profoundly good book with "mature" content, meant to be read by adults, does not necessarily mean it should be in a public school setting. In an effort towards the middle can we at least agree parents should be informed if it's there? Lauren Gill does not agree, she voted to NOT inform you of a book with graphic child rape. (References coming) See Conejo Valley on "Take back the Classroom" link provided here. See what other literature is in CVUSD libraries and classrooms that other parents have found contains age-inappropriate content, mature adult sexual content, and violent literature. Here you will see the excerpts from "The Bluest Eye", you decide, should we be notified of the content as parents? See this Lauren Gill Tweet/retweet about allowing children to read books with sexual content, also further implying it is the schools responsibility to give your child the sexual verbiage to communicate in life, not under your discretion but theirs. Do you feel this is undermining your parental rights to raise your child according to your 14th amendment right?
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Who Should Decide What is Age-appropriate Sex Ed and Human Growth and Development Curriculum and Policies?
This five board members including, Lauren Gill voted unanimously approving the controversial comprehensive sex education curriculum, Teen Talk, against teachers and parents advocating against it. They blatantly ignored the recommendations from the selected forum of teachers and parents designated to pick the new sex -ed. (evidence to be provided in specific Teen Talk section coming soon). The focus group selected a less extreme curriculum, Positive Prevention Plus. CVUSD has been sued over adopting this explicit curriculum and other deceptive practices due to the harm it has brought against families in the community. Teen Talk includes a "pregnant man", false science on male/female chromosomal make up and sexually explicit language for children as young as 12 years old. It is common sense to expect MOST parents agree this can be confusion and damaging content to expose to the general population of children at certain ages. Mrs. Gill proposed and lead the charge to implement CO-ED human growth and development video sessions for 4-6th grade. Meaning, unless you specifically email the teacher to opt-out, your 4-6 th grade daughter will be forced to watch the video about their male classmates "wet dreams" and your son will learn all about the menstrual cycle at age 9. The feedback from most children and parents in 4th and 5th grade was that after the session, the girls were embarrassed because the boys made fun of their periods for days and the boys were more uncomfortable watching their video in front of their female peers. Here our our questions to you the parents: Do you ask your 4-6th grader if they WANT to watch the opposite sex video in a full classroom of BOTH male and female peers? If you have decided to let them watch both do you ask them how it went and how did they feel during before and after. How did the class respond? This is our parental responsibility to manage our children best we see fit. The board has demanded they watch both together with all peers OR you must opt out completely of both. No middle ground, to allow a boy to watch the boy video and girl to only watch the girl video. We feel this is damaging to our children. Copy paste his link (https://www.conejousd.org/Page/1654) into your browser. They do not disclose the co-ed policy on the website, for full transparency again keeping the truth from parents. They will include the co-ed policy only when you get the email notification from the school that they will be showing videos. It is discretionary to principles on the notification process. The board voted and passed this policy unanimously.
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Lauren Gill: Indivisible Conejo Education TEAM LEADER
Why is this important? To explain Gills core values and where her votes for your children will side. It is important to know the amount of research some parents have done on these topics to uncover the truth is extensive. Our goal is to save you the headache of time. Here is what you need to know on this topic and please, we encourage you to research yourself. Indivisible Conejo is a subset of a national liberal, progressive movement that has groups dispersed throughout the country. Indivisible is a far-left political activist group that promotes Lauren Gill and Karen Sylvester as their local candidates, knowing they will inject these agendas they promote in our schools. Gill has been very active with this group speaking at seminars and promoting these agendas prior to being elected as a board member in 2020. Notice all prior affiliations and social media accounts are deleted and altered once these progressive members become elected. Fortunately social media is forever and it can be found. Although we are all entitled to our opinions, school boards should be non-partisan. All board members are currently registered Democrats siding with the current climate and social ideologies that we have watched become dangerous and volatile in our schools, community and nation. One of the local leaders of INDIVISIBLE: CONEJO is John Cummings. He also is a primary member in the foundation of CONEJO TOGETHER, another far end left, progressive group with the goal of backing specific school board candidates along with the teachers unions. See link below, John Cummings, is an admin. 2025: Indivisible will be exposed https://x.com/amuse/status/1895119837765971990
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Questions to ask?
Here are some questions to ask: Why would Lauren Gill follow so many extremist groups? Why can we not find any history on Lauren Gill? Why do the school board members delete all social media history? Click on "Learn more" to see her X (twitter) activity.
Learn MoreKAREN SYLVESTER: CVUSD BOARD TRUSTEE
FAILING ACADEMICS and BUDGETS
Karen Sylvester is complicit in supporting this board's fiscal and academic decisions. She consistently votes in line with only progressive, liberal policies. Most parents in this district have encountered challenges with at least one of the following issues: academic performance, adequate support for special needs, proper assessments and services for IEPs, ineffective bullying policies, dress code enforcement, or the dangerous policies mixing of genders in bathrooms, locker rooms, outdoor school and sports, among others. *Note: Image from Niche — current CVUSD board supporters recognize Niche as a valid source.*
Learn MoreWhy is There a Disinformation Campaign Against Concerned Parents Asking Questions?
Conejo Together: This group, started in 2020 by Mary Anne Van Zuyle, Jon Cummings and Betsy Connolly, with the goal of supporting candidates for Conejo Valley School Board with progressive values AND with the goal to remove any conservative candidate running for school board in our schools. They are also linked with Indivisible Conejo, as you can see in this letter written in 2022 (click "learn more"). All board members are very active with Conejo Together. Again, our assertion is that Conejo Together seems to have the track record of promoting to the community that our schools are doing only amazing and without problems while assisting in discrediting parents that come to board meetings with concerns. Lets be clear there are good and bad things happening in CVUSD, anyone telling you otherwise may be a part of the problem.
Learn MoreAre There "PARENT SECRECY POLICIES"? WILL CVUSD HIDE GENDER TRANSITION AT SCHOOL FROM PARENTS?
All CVUSD board members have supported and voted for district policies that dismissed parents wanting to have knowledge when controversial LGTBQ material would be presented in elementary classrooms to their children. The district said NO, we WILL NOT tell parents if we will read a transgender book in class. We will not inform you.
"Trustees"
Cindy Goldberg
Trustee
Votes for progressive agendas in CVUSD. Not up for re-election until 2026. *stay tuned
Bill Gorback
Trustee
Votes for progressive agendas in CVUSD. Not up for re-election until 2026. *stay tuned
Lisa Powell
Trustee
Votes for progressive agendas in CVUSD. Not up for election until 2026. *stay tuned
MARK MCLAUGHLIN: SUPERINTENDENT (In Progress)
Is CVUSD being deceitful in hiding information from the pubic?
Here is an article from 2022 on hiding the Sup. McLaughlin's employment contract. The elected board is at the top of the school district chain. They hire, fire, and control all aspects of CVUSD from who is employed by the district to curriculum. Our democracy is what allows us to have a say in this. Your votes dictate what happens in our run schools. Our board is responsible for this, hold them accountable to show us his current contract 2025. An CA wide unprecedented contract for 6 years, at $400K plus a year in our tax dollars. That's 2.4 MILLION dollars in just his salary alone. Should we hold him accountable or the board or both? WHEN we get contract, which is legally required public information, we will post here.
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Here are the claims on how current leaders have damaged our district:
*Evidence of every claim below will eventually be on this website.
- Promoted the LGBTQ agenda in grades TK-12, with no parent permission
- Approved controversial age-inappropriate books in schools
- Allowed racial slurs and excessive bullying without consequences
- Hid gender transitions from parents with official school documents
- Supported co-ed bathrooms and locker rooms (gender fluid environment)
- Hid from parents that they are allowing girls to sleep in boys cabins at 6th grd outdoor school
- Planned excessive educational time for DEI/SEL
- Mandated co-ed only viewing (or opt out completely) for 4-6th grade human growth and development videos
- Adopted Planned Parenthood funded controveral Teen Talk as comprehensive sex-ed against teachers and parents vote.
- Implemented confidential mental health clinics on campus that will not inform parents when used by their child.
- Set board policy to excuse your child for medical care acording to administrative discretion.
These are just a few far-end and harmful policies and procedures we have found to be true in CVUSD. Please research yourself, and if in fact true, theseeds to be made aware to the community.
June 14, 2022 CVUSD Board meeting
See the clips of Sup. McLaughlin and the Board Defend the Position to NOT INFORM PARENTS on the reading of a gender confusing book to a 3rd grade class. Full meeting here: (https://conejovalleyusdca.new.swagit.com/videos/197332) They claim, we "DO NOT HAVE TO TELL YOU AND WE WILL NOT" The truth is that they CAN NOTIFY YOU, they CHOOSE NOT TO. The parents position is solely to allow them the opportunity to parent their own child according to their constitutional rights. The parents did NOT ask the board to ban the reading of the book nor to OUT the student, they asked only to be notified. Ask why would they take such an extreme position on something so controversial and potentially damaging to 8-9 yo children? Why would they not just approve notification of parents that a transgender book will be read in class?
CVUSD In the NEWS (stay tuned)
LGTBQ Agenda
https://www.conejousd.org/Page/1669
https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/conejo/Board.nsf/Public#
Sample of upcoming agenda: Petition to change current 4th-6th grade human growth and development curriculum to include LGTBQ "education". Current policy, lead by Lauren Gill Board President, is to have co-ed instruction. BOTH boys and girls watch both videos together. Yes 4th grade girls (9 yo) get to watch a video about boys having "wet dreams." That was a fun dinner topic to explain, thanks to our school board policy! The district has taken public access away from the community as to what is in these new videos. Why? Brown Act Violation? Are they really being transparent? The community has a right to view the public board approved curriculum.
Meeting Date May 22, 2024.pdf
Please see docs from a parent with district admins attempting to get information from the district on the agendas in the meetings. Ultimately, Kenny Loo Ass.Sup, implied that they do not have to follow the Brown Act for disclosure because they are an Ad-Hoc committee. This is true, Ad-hoc committee's do not have to follow the Brown Act for full public disclosure. We believe this is intentional to hide the full agenda from parents, otherwise why wouldn't they make this committee permanent? You decide deceitful or not?
For your children's sake and your fundamental rights PLEASE DO NOT FALL FOR THE LIE that ALL parents are the enemy and secrets must be kept by the schools to protect children. How did we let the school board have the control to discern what we get to know about OUR OWN children. MOST parents are loving and choose to support their children unconditionally. Our entire judicial system is based on the greater good while trying to protect the individual. We do not ignore the fact that there is abuse happening to some children. There are many policies and resources in place to protect children from abuse of all kinds.
We believe that this form will ultimately be found illegal and cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. It assumes families and parents are abusive and not supportive, that violates the 14th amendment, period.
https://genderlcgb.substack.com/p/lawyers-train-school-districts-how
Sample of VENTURA county board of Ed to implement KINDERGARDEN - 5th grade Gender Diversity Lessons without parent notification. All parents want is the opportunity to view the material and have a conversation with their child. The board says NO and their community staged influencers call you "transphobes and bigots"
https://libertyjusticecenter.org/pressrelease/california-school-board-and-district-join-lawsuit-to-stand-up-against-gov-gavin-newsoms-attack-on-parental-rights-through-ab-1955/
One thing to consider, even if the laws ALLOWED schools to hide this information from parents, does that mean they should? Parents at Maple Elementary just wanted to be informed so they could talk to their 8-9 yo children first. That is all folks. They were not asking to stop the reading, just to be allowed the opportunity to be a parent to their OWN child, not the class. They did not ask for disclosure of the the transitioning child.( A section will be added on this incident soon).
Yes, it is happening in CVUSD
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Links
*stay tuned
Links
US news link to basic CVUSD info
https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/california/districts/conejo-valley-unified-100691