Teachers and community members urge board to reconsider actions involving Granite Hills administrator

At the Apple Valley Unified School District board meeting on Nov. 6, multiple current and former staff members pressed trustees to reconsider personnel actions involving Daniel Rincon and to address what speakers described as a culture of favoritism and retaliation.

"If Mr. Rincon was still on campus, he would have ensured that proper personnel would have been there," said Angelica Rodriguez, a Granite Hills High School teacher, recounting an incident at a recent football game when she said no administrator or medical personnel were on-site and she called 911 for an injured visiting player.

Several other speakers backed that account and described Rincon as a longstanding, stabilizing presence on campus. "Daniel is the one constant on campus," said Jenna Contreras, who identified herself as a CSA at Granite Hills. Alex Gonzales, a teacher and head football coach, told the board he had worked under Rincon for 11 years and credited him with rebuilding the athletic program’s operations and culture.

Other public commenters broadened their critiques beyond the single personnel matter. A speaker who said she had resigned as director of the Great Academy alleged repeated investigations, uneven application of AR 13 12.1 and board policy 4 12.8, and asked trustees to audit Prop 28 and CTE expenditures for compliance. "When due process protections are treated as optional, fairness becomes discretionary," the speaker said.

Angela Rincon, who identified herself as a behavioral health counselor at Granite Hills, said she and her husband were placed on administrative leave in September without explanation and disputed the district’s handling of investigations: "I was simply told I was being placed on leave while an investigation took place," she said, adding that she had not been interviewed about her own case.

Karen Sabers, president of the Apple Valley Unified Teachers Association, urged the board to negotiate an equitable settlement for certificated staff, citing benefit and salary differences in recent district settlements and a retirement buyout program she said would save the district more than $10 million in certificated salaries.

The board did not take immediate public action on the personnel matters raised during the public-comment period. Trustees thanked speakers for coming forward and identified follow-up items for later meetings. Several speakers and union representatives called for audits, greater transparency about Prop 28 and CTE allocations, and consistent application of district policies.

The meeting’s closed-session report later noted only two actions taken in closed session: the board voted to deny claims by Juan Carlos Gonzalez and Arlene Garcia (the report did not specify any personnel discipline votes).