CVUSD and Our Community

Editor, 

Having lived in Castro Valley for 40+ years, with my children having gone through the Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) school system, I have come to be disappointed at what the CVUSD has become.  The “progressive” actions of the District Board have been to progressively move against our community.  It started out simply by taking back partnerships with community organizations – from a joint program with the Chamber of Commerce, to unceremoniously kicking out the School Resource Officers, to being at a form of war with a revered park district.  Latest actions include gaslighting of a major school violence situation that made Channel 4 news, to what should have been a terrific program for testing on Covid prior to students coming back to school after the holidays.  The handing out of COVID test kits should have made great headlines, but instead made the KCBS traffic report for a “sig alert” from the CHP due to the crazy traffic that backed up Castro Valley everywhere. 

Now comes the latest affront that resulted in our Jewish community taking out a Forum ad (full back page Jan 26th edition) regarding exclusion from the State Diversity training requirement.  The posting of the diversity training contract to be let was handled the same way that the termination of the School Resource Officer program by a “Consent Calendar” posting which would not have had ANY public discussion. However, but for the parent and community protests (in the case of the Diversity Training contract) at the last CVUSD meeting, there would not have been any discussion of the true nature of the training contract. Then, when discussion was permitted, it was limited to 30 minutes - with speakers only allowed 90 seconds to speak. SHAME ON CVUSD BOARD!!!! The matter should have been tabled and a public hearing should have been ordered to offer up full details of the contract to the community.

Why has the CVUSD Board come to appear as if the community is the enemy??  Why are these so called “progressives” on the Board doing this to our community? Why won’t a public hearing be held on the Diversity Training program???

2022 is an election year – Castro Valley has an opportunity to turn this “Titanic” around.  And when voting and launching candidates, remember what has been done to our community. Stop the exclusion and disruption and bring back a community-caring CVUSD Board.

–Frank Mellon, Castro Valley