California school board members receive threats of violence over parental notification policy
Board president: 'I have drawn closer and closer to God during this time'
“It’s no secret I’m a Christ follower.”
While Sonja Shaw doesn’t shy away from sharing her faith, as the school board president of Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), she’s among at least two people being threatened over the board’s policy on notifying parents about their child's welfare, including any request to be identified as the opposite sex.
The threats of violence over the district’s parental notification policy, which the board passed in late July, has sparked an active police investigation that has led to at least one arrest.
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Since the investigation, which is ongoing, Shaw is unable to share much information but told The Christian Post via email Thursday that “multiple threats” are under investigation, including one from “someone that identified with the name ‘Antifa’” in which Shaw’s private address was revealed.
A related post included one with the quote, “No justice, no peace, we know where you sleep,” while another stated, “I’m declaring war on Sonja Shaw,” she said.
On Thursday, police announced the arrest of Rebecca Morgan, 52, of Berkeley, who was arrested on Aug. 1 on suspicion of threatening a public official after investigators identified her as “one of those who made threats against members” of the CVUSD board.
While police say the first threat made was linked to a non-California resident and Chino police worked with local authorities on that case, “several other threatening messages, emails, and social media posts have been sent to members of the CVUSD Board” — including Shaw herself, who told CP there have been “voicemails threatening my life and now one other board member’s life.”
“Our police department is nothing short of amazing,” she said. “They have a reputation here in Chino with criminals, and us community members know if a crime is committed here, they are actively on it and do everything they can to protect us all.”
Shaw, who was elected to the board last November, and others were apparently targeted after CVUSD adopted the parental notification policy in a 4-1 decision on July 20. That policy requires school officials to notify parents within three days of a student’s decision to identify with a gender “other than the student’s biological sex” or other official records.
At that July 20 meeting, Shaw had a confrontational exchange with Tony Thurmond, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, who also attended the meeting to object to the policy’s passage on behalf of Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration.
Since that meeting, Thurmond has suggested potential legal action could be taken against CVUSD.
“The actions of this board are deeply troubling, and I’m not talking about being thrown out of a public meeting. I am talking about the blatant disregard for student privacy and safety,” Thurmond said in a statement. “Forced outing policies harm everyone — students, parents and guardians, families, and school staff. What CVUSD has done may be in violation of state law. We will be working closely with the State Attorney General’s office to verify and enforce California law.”
Shaw, a Chino native who is a wife and mother of two, is also a small business owner and leads a local Bible study.
She says her decision to run for the school board began during the COVID-19 lockdowns as California enacted some of the most stringent public health restrictions in the country.
“When the shutdown happened a few years ago is when so many of us parents got involved and things were revealed about the elected officials and they began exposing their intentions and focus,” Shaw said. “As more and more parents united, we knew they had no desire to listen to us.”
Her support for the parental notification bill, she said, found a majority on the CVUSD board and led to Shaw working with the Coalition for Parental Rights “to make sure the policy was strong and covered things parents and community members were concerned about.”
“I don’t believe any of this was accident,” she said. “I brought it forward, and then, the next meeting, we voted and adopted this policy.”
But despite the bill’s passage and the ensuing threats against her and other board members, Shaw knows this fight is likely just beginning. Her source of strength for that fight, she said, comes straight from the Word of God.
“People from all over the nation have called, emailed and continue to write letters of support and saying this gave them hope,” she explained. “A few years ago, when I joined this journey, God kept showing me hope [in] Jeremiah 29:11.
“I have drawn closer and closer to God during this time and look to Him for direction and protection.”
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post and the author of BACKWARDS DAD: a children's book for grownups. He can be reached at: [email protected].
