✏️ Spotlight Schools Newsletter: March 2025

THE LATEST ON TK-12 EDUCATION IN ORANGE COUNTY

In this month's newsletter:

• A school board member in the Anaheim Elementary School District was ousted from his seat.
• The Santa Ana Unified School District is considering renaming a campus after receiving complaints.
• 🐐 Which local school is the G.O.A.T. of campus farms? Spotlight Schools kicks off a new series starting with Golden View Elementary in the Ocean View School District.
• 🐝 A story generating buzz – meet the winner of the 2025 Orange County Spelling Bee!

But first: President Donald J. Trump’s first weeks in office for his second term have included a flurry of orders, a vow to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, and threats to pull federal funding from K-12 schools.

One focus is on eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion or DEI efforts in government that he labels as “illegal and immoral discrimination programs.”

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education launched EndDEI.Ed.Gov, “a public portal for parents, students, teachers, and the broader community to submit reports of discrimination based on race or sex in publicly-funded K-12 schools,” according to a press release.

This followed a February 14 letter from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights warning schools that they had 14 days to “end the use of racial preferences and race stereotypes in their programs and activities,” or risk losing federal funding, according to a statement from Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor.

The directive is the subject of a lawsuit from educators arguing its "references to discrimination and nondiscrimination are too vague to give clear notice of what conduct is supposedly prohibited." 

On March 1, the DOE listed a FAQ online regarding the directive. (Linda McMahon was also sworn in as the U.S. Secretary of Education.)

While directives are issued, lawsuits are filed, and FAQs are updated, Spotlight Schools is committed to asking: how does any of this impact TK-12 schools in Orange County? We aim to report on what’s actually happening locally.

But we need your help. 

Please email hello@spotlightschools.com if directives regarding DEI have affected you, your campus, or district. We want to focus on what's occurring at schools in O.C., not the back-and-forth in Washington, D.C.

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Yours in knowledge,

Jeannette Andruss, Co-founder of Spotlight Schools

Anaheim School Board Trustee Ousted after Board Majority Votes to Declare his Seat Vacant

Board resolution states Mark Lopez could no longer serve on the AESD board after he won election to another local governing board

Mark Lopez is no longer a member of the Anaheim Elementary School District Board of Education. His bio page on the district's website is no longer accessible.

During a March 3 special meeting, the board voted 3-2 in favor of a resolution to declare his seat vacant, essentially removing Lopez from the post, arguing his being elected to serve on two local governing boards was unlawful.

Lopez and Board Trustee Ryan Ruelas opposed the resolution. Board President Juan Álvarez, and Trustees Julie Diep and Jackie Filbeck supported it.

An educator in the Anaheim Union High School District, Lopez was first elected to represent Trustee Area 4 on the AESD board in 2018. His current term was due to end in 2026. In the November 2024 election, he won a seat on the North Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees.

The approved resolution states Lopez "simultaneously serving on both the District Board and the NOCCCD Board constitutes holding incompatible offices in violation of the California Government Code 1099."

According to the law, offices are "incompatible" when:

• Either office may audit, overrule, or exercise supervisory powers over the other office or body;
• There is a possibility of a "significant clash of duties or loyalties between the offices;"
• "Public policy considerations make it an improper arrangement for one person to hold both offices."

Board President Álvarez said the board obtained legal guidance, which he said was shared with Lopez, and determined that "it is clear that the board seat must be declared vacant."

"Allowing an incompatible office holder to remain seated would create legal risk and potential governance conflicts that could impact the district’s ability to function effectively," Álvarez said during the meeting.

He said the decision to declare the vacancy had nothing to do with any personal feelings toward Lopez, calling him a "dedicated, highly respected board member."

In January, the board voted to censure Lopez for not resigning. It also approved a request to ask California Attorney General Rob Bonta to issue an opinion on the situation. (Spotlight Schools has reached out to Bonta's press office and has not heard back.)

Álvarez did not mention anything about the request to Bonta's office at the March 3 meeting, but Lopez and some public speakers did.

Lopez argued the board needs to hear from Bonta's office first before making any decisions.

"The fact is this board is not a court of law that could make that legal determination," Lopez said in an interview after the meeting. "If the attorney general said it was incompatible, that is something I would calculate into my own internal calculus whether I would want to pursue this.”

NOCCCD board member Ryan Bent spoke during public comment and cautioned the AESD trustees to slow things down and wait for the opinion from the attorney general.

"When you look at the elementary school district and the Community College Board, I can tell you in the eight years that I've been a trustee, I've not seen your name on my agenda once. There is no conflict," Bent said and added, "You're getting very bad advice from your attorneys right now."

The resolution states that the board must fill the vacancy within 60 days. The board's next scheduled meeting is on March 12.

Germaine Neumann-Chau contributed reporting.

Spotlight Schools will continue to follow this story. Follow us on Instagram or visit SpotlightSchools.com for updates.

O.C. Districts Make Efforts to Support Muslim Students during Ramadan

Muslim students in four Orange County school districts are being offered a new service during Ramadan, a holy month of fasting, prayer, and community that began February 28 and is expected to last through March 30.

Starting this week, the Garden Grove Unified School District and the Anaheim Union High School District are providing take-home meal kits for students who are fasting during the school day. The Fullerton School District is also offering to-go breakfast and lunches for its students.

During Ramadan, practitioners of Islam do not eat or drink between dawn (sunrise) and dusk (sunset). While children are not required to participate in the fasting, many choose to do so.

“With 81% of students being socio-economically disadvantaged, we are proud to ensure that students will continue to have access to free breakfast and lunch during Ramadan fasting,” GGUSD spokesperson Abby Broyles wrote in an email to Spotlight Schools.

“This program is a reflection of our dedication to ensuring that all students have access to nutritious meals, even during special observances like Ramadan,” reads a post on the AUHSD's Instagram account. The district said it will also offer to-go meals to Muslim students observing Ramadan in the Anaheim Elementary School District.

The Los Angeles office of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) commended the moves by the AUHSD and GGUSD.

“We hope that more school districts will take similar steps to ensure Muslim students feel seen and valued at school, not only during Ramadan but year-round,” CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said in a statement.

Germaine Neumann-Chau contributed reporting.

Read the whole story at SpotlightSchools.com.

Santa Ana Unified School District Looks to Rename Elementary School

The Santa Ana Unified School District is asking for the public's input as it considers changing the name of John C. Frémont Elementary School.

Several community speakers voiced concerns about Frémont's legacy at the SAUSD Board of Education meeting on June 25, 2024, according to the district.

The military officer, explorer, and first presidential candidate for the Republican Party, is tied to a massacre of Native Americans, according to the L.A. Times which cites UCLA professor Benjamin Madley’s book “An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe.” 

The district said it researched Frémont and confirmed that as part of his efforts to settle the American West, he "ordered attacks on Native Americans that killed indigenous men, women, and children, and that drove them from their land."

The district is now asking people to respond to a survey about the renaming.

Are you a parent of a student at Frémont? Let us know your thoughts by responding to this email.

'Hidden Gem' in Huntington Beach

Award-Winning Golden View Elementary School uses its farm and garden to focus on Environmental Science

Tucked away in the middle of a housing tract in northern Huntington Beach is Golden View Elementary School. The TK-5th grade campus in the Ocean View School District offers something you might not expect at an elementary school in Orange County – a 2.5-acre farm complete with goats, pigs, sheep, chickens, turkeys, geese, and a tortoise. It also has a vegetable and fruit garden and fruit trees.

“It’s just a little hidden gem,” Principal Venus Moeller said in a recent phone interview. “You feel like you’re in a different world when you’re out [on the farm].”

Golden View students spend a lot of time learning outdoors through the school’s environmental science program, which launched in 2018.

Each week, students take an environmental science class and also have hands-on lessons with a farm facilitator. Students have “farm chores,” which vary by grade level. They are responsible for feeding and caring for the animals, cleaning out their enclosures, getting eggs from the chickens, and more. 

Moeller said Golden View students develop a level of respect for all living things as they learn how to plant, compost, seed, and harvest as well as how to care for animals. 

Aaliyah Ramos, a 5th grader at Golden View, said she loves working in the garden and with the animals. “I just like getting my hands dirty,” she grinned.

“I think it’s really cool because the kids definitely take pride in their work out on the farm,” teacher Mackenzie Munguia said.

Golden View’s efforts have won it adoration from parents and students as well as recognition. Last year, it earned a Golden Bell Award for its “Environmental Innovation is Golden” program from the California School Boards Association. In 2020, the campus was named a California Green Ribbon School. 

Read more about Golden View Elementary, including why it was almost slated for closure, at SpotlightSchools.com.

Other Stories We're Reading

Note: some links may have a paywall or require a subscription to read.

• Despite arrest, Newport Harbor High School water polo phenom allowed to compete // The O.C. Register
• Santa Ana USD to drop contested Ethnic Studies courses to settle lawsuit // EdSource on Spotlight Schools
• Is Placentia-Yorba Linda USD’s Universal Sports Institute Worth the Cost? // Voice of OC
• Capistrano Unified to open new elementary school campus // The Orange County Register 
• State declares which school districts are on its radar for financial troubles and one of them is in Orange County // EdSource
• What should California schools do in response to Trump’s DEI crackdown? Nothing yet, some leaders say // CalMatters
• Quick Guide: What does threatened federal funding do for CA's TK-12 schools? // EdSource
• Huntington Beach High School student among plaintiffs in lawsuit over city’s library policies // The L.A. Times
• Former NFL player says he was fired from coaching job at Edison High School after protest at Huntington Beach council meeting; district cites social media post as reason // The O.C. Register
• Loara High School in Anaheim is the latest Orange County campus to open a Well Space // NBC Los Angeles
• California Credit Union Foundation offering teachers Innovation Grants // Fullerton Observer
• Six O.C. campuses recognized by California as Model Continuation Schools // OCDE Newsroom

We want to know about Career Technical Education Programs in Your District!

Last Thursday, Spotlight Schools attended the 11th Annual O.C. Pathways Showcase at the O.C. Fair & Event Center highlighting the numerous Career Technical Education (CTE) programs offered to students at Orange County high schools, middle schools, and colleges.

These classes offer students hands-on instruction and coursework that corresponds to numerous careers and industries. Pathways exist in the medical field, media and entertainment, engineering and technology, construction, childcare and education and more.

Spotlight Schools is working on an in-depth story exploring the world of CTE to help students better navigate their options. We want to know about the CTE programs at your school or district! Please reach out by responding to this email or emailing hello@spotlightschools.com.

🐝 O.C.'s Top Speller of 2025 Crowned

Winner will compete in the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee in May

Sydney Tran was the best at the bee.

The 13-year-old student at El Rancho Charter School in the Orange Unified School District won the 2025 Orange County Spelling Bee on March 1. 

In the 14th round of the competition, Sydney correctly spelled the word obsecration to take home the title. The winning word means a supplicatory prayer that appeals for things to be sacred. 

"We are all cheering for you as you take on this next challenge," reads a social media post from Sydney's school.

She beat out 136 other students from across Orange County for the honor. Sydney will now represent the county at the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee being held near Washington, D.C. in May. The Orange County Spelling Bee is coordinated by the Orange County Department of Education in partnership with the Orange County Register.

Sydney wasn’t the only stellar speller at Saturday’s competition. Finishing in second place was Aden Nunes, a 7th grader at Fairmount Schools San Juan Capistrano campus. Aden and Sydney battled for four rounds before he incorrectly spelled “par excellence.” He took home $250 in prize money. Eighth grader Everett Lin, a student at Rancho San Joaquin Middle School in the Irvine Unified School District finished in third place and won a $100 prize.

Read more from the OCDE Newsroom.

One last thing...

Los Alamitos Education Foundation Fundraiser a Success

More than $170,000 raised for Innovation Grants

In January, Spotlight Schools wrote about how the Los Alamitos Education Foundation, the non-profit partner of the Los Alamitos Unified School District, had awarded more than $150,000 worth of Innovation Grants to educators at the district's nine schools.

Last month, the nonprofit held its "LAEF's Night Out" fundraiser and reported that it generated more than $170,000 in fundraising. The money raised will support Innovation Grants for the 2025-26 school year.

“We are so happy with the support we received for LAEF’s Night Out!," LAEF Executive Director Carrie Logue wrote in a statement. LAEF added that it "can’t wait to share with you all of the creative ideas and learning opportunities this will bring to Los Al Kids!"

Editor's Note: The co-founder of Spotlight Schools is a donor to LAEF.

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