Lawsuit Against Temecula Valley USD Gets Backing From CA AG Rob Bonta

TEMECULA, CA — A lawsuit filed against the Temecula Valley Unified School District's Board of Trustees by a coalition of students, parents, teachers and a teachers’ union has garnered support from California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Bonta announced Tuesday that he filed an amicus brief in Riverside County Superior Court in the case, Mae M. v. Komrosky, in support of the coalition's efforts to obtain a preliminary injunction against the TVUSD Board of Trustees' controversial districtwide policies.

"Schools have an obligation to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment, with curricula that reflect the contributions of California’s diverse communities,” Bonta said Tuesday. “Temecula Valley Unified’s policies banning inclusive curriculum and forcibly outing transgender and gender-nonconforming students single out California’s most vulnerable individuals, severely harming their well-being and academic success. In the face of ongoing attacks in California and across the nation, my office will continue to stand up against any measures that compromise the civil rights of students.”

In the amicus brief, Bonta addressed what he calls "the unlawful nature and substantial negative effects" of Temecula Valley Unified School District’s board policies "and the irreparable harm that will occur absent immediate injunctive relief."

In late November, the coalition filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against the TVUSD Board of Trustees seeking to bar enforcement of policies implemented by three of the five trustee board members: Dr. Joseph Komrosky, Jennifer Wiersma and Danny Gonzalez. The remaining two TVUSD trustees — Allison Barclay and Steven Schwartz — have not aligned with the trio. A court date set for Jan. 24 will hear arguments for and against the motion.

Specifically, the coalition wants to halt TVUSD Board Resolution 21 passed last December. It prohibits the teaching of “Critical Race Theory” and any text or material the three board members find objectionable. The coalition is also seeking to put a stop to TVUSD Board Policy 5020.01, which mandates that parents and legal guardians are notified if their children are transgender or gender-nonconforming.

TVUSD Board Policy 5020.01, passed in August, is a duplicate of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education’s outing policy. In October, Bonta secured a preliminary injunction to halt it in the CVUSD.

Following the win, Bonta issued a rebuke to districts like the TVUSD and Murrieta Valley Unified School District that have implemented copycat policies.

"Let this decision serve as a stern warning to other school districts that have passed or are contemplating similar policies: enforcing discriminatory practices will not be tolerated in our educational institutions," Bonta said in October.

With the injunction in place, the court has more time to decide the merits of a state lawsuit against the CVUSD over its policy. The outcome will have a statewide effect.

If the coalition in Temecula is granted a preliminary injunction against the TVUSD board, it too would give the court more time to decide the merits of Mae M. v. Komrosky. The coalition first filed the lawsuit Aug. 2 and amended the complaint Oct. 13.

The lawsuit "seeks to create a legal precedent that affirms students’ right to comprehensive, fact-based education and a safe learning environment in California’s K–12 public schools," according to the legal team of Public Counsel, which, along with the law firm Ballard Spahr LLP, is representing the plaintiffs.

The TVUSD has previously declined to comment on the pending litigation.