Temecula School Board Meeting Canceled Amid Protests Over Secret Recording

TEMECULA, CA — The Temecula Valley Unified School District's regular meeting came to a screeching halt before it began Tuesday night amid protests after a trustee was accused of bugging the dais before a recent meeting.

The school board meeting was canceled due to a failure to reach quorum in the absence of board trustees Jen Wiersma, Steve Schwartz, and Melinda Anderson. Wiersma and Schwartz were reportedly running late to the meeting, but Anderson's absence was not explained.

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Before the meeting could get underway, a crowd of community members, including teachers and students, protested outside of the district office, with many holding signs that read "Anderson Out!" and "Overworked, Under Paid, Still Showing Up."

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The trustees were absent from a potentially contentious meeting, which had several agenda items that put three school board members in the hot seat. There were resolutions calling for the censure of Trustees Emil Barham, Anderson, and Wiersma, as well as a "demand for immediate resignation" of Anderson and Wiersma.

Anderson is currently facing a criminal investigation following allegations that she bugged the dais near two fellow board members before a recent meeting.

A camera used to record school board meetings recorded video that appears to show Anderson placing an object beneath two fellow board members' desks. Days later, board members said they were told the Riverside County Sheriff's Department was investigating allegations that Anderson planted a listening device.

One video showed Anderson talking with Wiersma before Anderson takes her purse and kneels in front of the vacant desks of Schwartz and Barham. She appears to reach beneath the desks, then returns to her seat and continues her conversation with Wiersma

A second video showed the end of the meeting as people leave the room. Superintendent Kimberly Velez can be seen watching as Anderson again approaches the desks, kneels and appears to remove something. Moments later, Schwartz and Barham re-enter the room.

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The agency said the investigation was ongoing, and no further details are available.

It was not known who filed the police report with the sheriff's department.

The TVUSD Superintendent's office released a statement earlier this month confirming it was aware of the video and that law enforcement was investigating.

Schwartz told Patch seeing video of someone crawl under his desk without any witnesses speaking up "was disturbing." After news of the recording broke, he told Patch that if Anderson or Wiersma are seated on the dais at Tuesday's school board meeting, he planned to attend but would not take his seat as part of the quorum.

Weeks ago, Barham and Schwartz asked Komrosky to call a special meeting to review the allegations against Anderson.

Barham questioned Komrosky's decision not to immediately schedule a special meeting after two trustees asked for one.

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Wiersma has been embroiled in controversies as well, most recently in April after many parents said they were outraged by the language used by Dr. Joseph Komrosky and Wiersma who mistook Temecula Valley High School water polo players' uniform Speedos for underwear and made comments of a sexual nature about the images on social media.