Historic preservationists mark a major Vail Ranch milestone, B-1
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Week Four scores and game notes from around the area, C-1
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SERVING TEMECULA , MURRIETA , L AKE E LSINOR E , M ENIFEE , WILDOMAR , H EMET, SAN JACINTO AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES September 22 – 28, 2023
Local News Boy Scouts to honor Robert Rosenstein as the 2023 Distinguished Citizen
VISI T myvalleynews.com
Volume 23, Issue 38
Rodeo comes to Temecula at Way Out West Fest
Tony Ault Staf f Writer The Boy Scouts of America, Tahquitz District in its 24 years of celebrating outstanding community residents will honor local attorney Robert Rosenstein as this year’s Distinguished Citizen at a Sept. 28 dinner. see page A-2
Home & Garden RivCo rescues 20 shelter dogs, transfers them by charter flight to Wisconsin for new life
RIVERSIDE – After the recent tropical storm that left the Coachella Valley Animal Campus inaccessible to the public, several animal welfare organizations partnered up to fund the transfer of 20 dogs, which were temporarily sheltered at San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, and fly them via chartered plane to Dane County Humane Society in Wisconsin for adoption. see page B-4
Regional News Highway Update: Electronic truck parking space availability signs before rest stops coming in October Tony Ault Staf f Writer The California Department of Transportation announced it will begin work on a $2.1 million project to install and deploy a Truck Parking Availability System which will include electronic signs to display the number of available truck parking spaces a few miles before the rest areas along Interstate 10 in and near Yucaipa, Whitewater, Coachella and Blythe. see page C-5
INDEX
A bull rider battles to stay on during the Way Out West Fest event benefiting the Charity for Charity nonprofit at Peltzer Winery in Temecula, Sept. 16. See more photos on page A-4. Valley News/Shane Gibson photo
TVUSD board votes to limit flags to American and California
Julie Reeder Publisher
Another packed crowd voiced support and concerns at the Temecula Valley Unified School District board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12, when the board passed a flag policy to limit what flags could be flown on school property. The flags allowed are now limited to the American flag and the California flag, unless prior approval is given by the Superintendent and the additional flag is for educational or instructional purposes. Many saw this as a way to get political flags and gender ideology out of the classroom. Others saw it as a way to limit the rainbow colored LGBTQ flag, which was never named in the policy. TVUSD Board President Dr. Komrosky said there were some classrooms that didn’t have American flags and they would be provided. One of the first fathers who spoke said, “Teachers should respect our sovereignty over our kids, just as they would want our respect over their teaching skills, irrespective of their sexual pref-
erences. We don’t care about the sexual preference of our teachers, we just want them to stop talking to our kids about it. He went on to say, “Flags contain a lot of symbology and they can be used as a teaching tool for that purpose. People would be aghast at a display of a Nazi flag because of what it represents and the slaughter it brought on people, so why is it so hard to understand the concern of flags or symbols that represents behaviors that threaten family’s social norms?” Another father and proud veteran said, “I think the thing that we’re all forgetting and missing, is that when you stand for the American flag there is no pride flag, without doing that, so when you look at the pride flag flying across the nation, the American flag is always above it. I’ve seen people sit during the pledge of allegiance while wearing the rainbow colors. I find it discouraging. There is no way you can stand on the pride flag and have it totally be supported without standing on the see FLAGS, page A-3
TVUSD Board President Dr. Komrosky in front of proposed policy. Valley News photo
Calendar of Events .............B-2
Judge sides with Escondido teachers who sued over EUSD Gender Identity Policy
Classifieds .........................C-6 Courts & Crimes .............. D-5
Cit y News Service Special to the Valley News
Education ..........................B-5
SAN DIEGO - A federal judge sided Thursday, Sept. 14 with two teachers at Escondido’s Rincon Middle School who sued over school district policies governing what information can be shared with parents of transgender and gender-nonconforming students. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez granted a preliminary injunction request prohibiting enforcement of policies that bar teachers from discussing students’ gender identities with their parents. The lawsuit filed earlier this year
Anza Valley Outlook ......... D-1
Business ............................B-7 Business Directory .............B-7
Entertainment ...................B-1 Faith................................. D-6
Health ...............................C-4 Home & Garden ................B-4 Local ................................A-1 Legals............................... D-6
National News ...................C-6 Opinion............................ D-6
Real Estate ........................B-8 Regional News ...................C-5 Sports ................................C-1
on behalf of Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West states teachers are required to use ``any pronouns or a gender-specific name requested by the student during school, while reverting to biological pronouns and legal names when speaking with parents in order to actively hide information about their child’s gender identity from them.’’ In his ruling issued Thursday, Benitez wrote, “A parent’s right to make decisions concerning the care, custody, control, and medical care of their children is one of the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests that Americans enjoy. However, if a school student
expresses words or actions during class that may be the first visible sign that the child is dealing with gender incongruity or possibly gender dysphoria, conditions that may (or may not) progress into significant, adverse, life-long socialemotional health consequences, would it be lawful for the school to require teachers to hide the event from the parents?’’ Reached Thursday afternoon, Michelle Breier of the Escondido Union School District said, “Our leadership team is currently reviewing the decision.’’ The lawsuit also named state education officials as defendants. Transgender notification poli-
cies have been enacted by several Southern California school districts in recent months, drawing the ire of state officials and LGBTQ+ support groups, who say such policies could put children in danger if their parents are not receptive. The California Department of Education says, ``Revealing a student’s gender identity or expression to others may compromise the student’s safety. Thus, preserving a student’s privacy is of the utmost importance. The right of transgender students to keep their transgender status private is grounded in California’s see POLICY, page A-5