February 8 School Board Meeting Quieter, Still Troubling

The Redlands School Board met again remotely on February 8, with little public participation. The two speakers during the public comment portion of the meeting spoke against mandatory mask and vaccine mandates, though a public email stated that over 200 million Americans have been vaccinated safely and that if someone doesn't want to comply with requirements and can engage in distance learning or work from home, this is a reasonable compromise.

Parent Paul Blachley commented on the board's focus on equity, saying that when they are “focused on the 30%” they will have difficulty with equity. He also called for the mandatory mask mandate to end.

Regular speaker Jared Gustafson, who does not have children in the district, referred to a“pandemic of fear" and "leaders acquiescing to this fear.” He claimed many parents couldn’t speak at the meeting because there were "legal affidavits being signed" and they were "receiving legal counsel." Referring to the recently formed Civil Review Board, Gustafson stated the “Fight has just begun" and said it will "continue until civil liberties are resinstated."

In a post on his own Instagram, Gustafson says the group will focus on upcoming school board elections, a move in line with other right-wing groups across the country. The New York Times reported in October 2021 that this strategy is meant to energize conservative voters.

Redlands school board members are elected for staggered four year terms, with a portion of the board up for election each even-yeared November. Patty Holohan (Trustee Area 1) beat Libbern Cook  in 2018. Previously, she was an at-large member of the board. Her term expires in December, 2022.

Gustafson took a diplomatic approach to speaking on the 8th, saying he was "Hopeful we can work together and have a more fruitful and productive conversations." In the past, Gustafson shared a threatening Instagram post involving a weapon, exhibited unruly behavior and refusal to comply with masking requirements at in-person board meetings, and doxxed board member Alex Vara, reading his home address at a meeting.

The next Redlands School Board meeting will take place on March 1, and the district website says it is proposed to include a meeting or workshop. The February 1 meeting included a workshop on equity. The March workshop topic has not yet been announced.