Fryer: Why does CIF-SS say ‘no’ to some transfers but ‘yes’ to most?

• September 5, 2024

The CIF Southern Section will do all it can to get high school kids eligible to play.

Sometimes, the facts of a transfer situation just won’t allow that to happen.

It’s always bigger news when transfers happen in the bigger sports at ranked schools. So it became social media conversation when Arizona State-committed senior quarterback Michael “Butter” Tollefson was declared ineligible to play at Tustin after transferring from JSerra, and All-County offensive lineman Jacob Maiava (SMU commit) was declared ineligible to play at Crean Lutheran after transferring from Santa Margarita.

Tollefson and Maiava would be playing at their third high schools had they been eligible at Tustin and Santa Margarita, respectively.

Many conditions established in the CIF-SS constitution and by-laws will prohibit a transfer from becoming immediately eligible at his or her new school.

“Our intent is to find what the evidence is and what are the facts in any given case to determine if our rules have been violated or not,” said CIF-SS commissioner Mike West. “If we find that they’ve been violated then we’re obligated to enforce the by-laws.”

CIF Southern Section commissioner Mike West speaks at the annual press conference luncheon on Nov. 20, 2023, in Long Beach. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

They include following a coach who has moved from School A to School B or a private tutor who is coaching at School B, the school athlete transferred to. This is called in CIF parlance “pre-enrollment contact” which includes contact with any coaches, staff, faculty, administration or parents at School B.

If it’s found that a transfer was made under “undue influence,” which includes recruiting, that will make a student-athlete ineligible. With NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) endorsement income available to high school school athletes, and with the high-profile school programs perhaps providing more NIL opportunities than others, this could come into play. So far NIL opportunities have not been heavily prevalent in local high school athletics.

Athletes who left a school for disciplinary reasons are not going to be athletically eligible when they enroll at School B. Sometimes change-of-residence requirements are not met.

The preceding does not comprise the complete list of why student-athletes are denied eligibility. They are among the more common reasons.

By the way, verifying that a change of residence has been made, which has to include the student-athlete’s entire family, is made by the school and not by the CIF-SS office. An example is the transfer of quarterback Dash Beierly from Chaparral of Temecula to Mater Dei. The CIF-SS website states of his eligibility status: “CIF (d)efined ‘Valid Change of Residence’ certified by the receiving school in accordance with bylaw 206 and all other applicable eligibility rules; student is eligible in all sports at any level.”

Athletes who do not make the verified change of residence that grants immediate athletic varsity-level eligibility must observe a sit-out period that equals 50 percent of the total number of days of that season of sport. If the student-athlete transfers after the season has begun, his/her sit-out period still starts from the first day of the season of sport.

One of the better cross country and track distance runners in Orange County is junior Summer Wilson. When she transferred from JSerra to Irvine before this school year she did not make a change of residence. Wilson has to sit out 50 percent of the days of the cross country season and 50 percent of the days of the track and field season.

A transferred athlete who does not make the verified change of residence can play the entire season at the junior varsity level.

The sit-out period or option to play at the junior varsity level is not available to a student-athlete whose transfer violated one of the conditions set for athlete eligibility at the new school.

It’s happened that a transfer who played during the regular season is suddenly found during the playoffs to be ineligible. Then a school has to forfeit the games in which the transfer participated and is removed from the playoffs.

“We’re doing our best to protect the schools,” West said. “If we just give it a once-over and we say ‘OK, you’re good’ and then some information comes up in the second round of the playoffs, that’s something we don’t want happening.”

August was a busy month for the CIF-SS office in Los Alamitos to process transfer requests. There were 1,705 total transfer requests made last month in the Southern Section that has 562 member schools. That’s a bit of a decrease from the 1,741 requests made in August 2023.

Of those 1,705 transfer requisitions last month, the CIF-SS reports that five transfers were denied varsity eligibility at their new school: three because of discipline, two because of pre-enrollment contact/undue influence.

The CIF Southern Section office did what it had to do in those cases.

NOTES

Check with the schools before going to any high school event this week. The extreme heat is forcing changes to many schedules. …

Mater Dei did its own live-streaming of its football home game against Centennial of Corona two weeks ago. The CIF Southern Section told Mater Dei that it can’t do that because CIF-SS has an exclusivity arrangement with the NFHS Network for live streaming of CIF-SS events. There is some friction there that could worsen. …

Newport Harbor senior Keaton Robar, whose forte in track and field is the 800 meters, is giving cross country a try this season. She finished first in the Saddleback Cup, a 2-mile race, this past weekend at Trabuco Hills with a time of 10 minutes, 38.9 seconds. Trabuco Hills senior distance ace Holly Barker was second at 10:37.9 and Newport Harbor senior Marley McCullough third at 10:42.6. …

Trabuco Hills senior Dylan Jubak was first (9:08.4) in the boys 2-mile race at the Saddleback Cup. …

Saddleback football ended its 19-game losing streak last week with a 44-0 win over Morningside of Inglewood. The Roadrunners are 1-1. …

Cash O’Byrne of Tesoro, according to MaxPreps, the CIF-SS leader in passing yardage with 782 yards. Canyon’s Alex Lundsberg is second at 774. …

Dave Carlson this week stepped aside as Los Alamitos boys and girls water polo coach for family reasons. He has coached the Griffins in various stints since 1999, including two CIF-SS championships. Rob Grayelli is the interim coach. …

Liberty-Liberty-Liberty! Three Liberty schools are in Orange County to play football games Friday. Liberty of Winchester is at Crean Lutheran, Liberty of Bakersfield plays Santa Margarita at Trabuco Hills High, and Liberty of Henderson, Nev. is at Mission Viejo.

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​ Orange County Register 

Rams 2024 defense preview: Position-by-position breakdown

• September 5, 2024

LOS ANGELES — As the Rams prepare for Sunday’s season opener against the Detroit Lions, Chris Shula is still finding his sea legs ahead of his first game as defensive coordinator.

“You’re just getting into the flow,” Shula said. “Even last year, going into being the linebackers coach again, you just kind of get into the flow of the first couple weeks of the season, get into your routine, when you have certain things studied by, when you have things done by. All that type of stuff and just getting into the rhythm of it but enjoying every day.”

Shula, a mainstay of the Sean McVay era in Los Angeles, was elevated to defensive coordinator following Raheem Morris’ departure to be head coach of the Falcons. Shula served under Morris and predecessors Wade Phillips and Brandon Staley the past seven years, learning from their decisions as he waited for his turn.

But, as they say, experience is the best teacher. And as Shula reviewed his own play-call decisions following preseason games last month, some moments from the past gained newfound clarity.

“It’s a little different when you’re the guy suggesting the calls than when you’re the guy actually making the calls. You kind of realize that there’s a lot of ‘aha’ moments that I’ve seen of some quirks that Wade and Staley and Raheem have had,” Shula said. “And I’m like, ‘That’s definitely the reason why they did that thing,’ whether it’s in the preparation or in the game day. But it’s been fun.”

So what weapons does Shula have at his disposal as he leads the Rams’ defense into Detroit? Here’s a quick positional breakdown of the unit.

Defensive line: Kobie Turner, Bobby Brown III, Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis, Desjuan Johnson, Neville Gallimore

Voted a team captain by his teammates, Turner will try to build on his nine-sack season that left him as the runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Turner is expected to play more three- and four-technique this season after primarily playing at nose tackle alongside Aaron Donald.

With Donald retired, the Rams expect to have a heavier rotation this year along the line, with more players asked to contribute outside of specific supporting roles. Brown and Johnson should have bigger roles outside of just run stopping. And the Rams want to see how a strong camp translates to the regular season for Fiske, for whom they traded a future second-rounder to move up and select in April’s draft.

Outside linebacker: Jared Verse, Michael Hoecht, Byron Young, Brennan Jackson, Nick Hampton

Verse, the Rams’ first first-round pick since 2016, gives the Rams’ pass rush a swagger with his style of play and willingness to talk with opposing offenses. He provides a dynamic pairing with Young, who broke out as a rookie a year ago, while Hoecht should provide steady play as part of the primary rotation at the position.

Linebacker: Troy Reeder, Christian Rozeboom, Omar Speights, Jacob Hummel, Elias Neal

This group saw a significant shakeup last week when Ernest Jones IV was traded to the Titans. But Reeder provides some leadership to the group with his six years of experience, and he’ll line up with Rozeboom with the first-team defense.

But the Rams also expect big things for Speights, an undrafted free agent out of LSU whom general manager Les Snead deemed a likely a contributor to the defense. Primarily known as a run stopper in college, Speights will need to grow in pass defense as the season goes on.

Cornerback: Tre’Davious White, Decobie Durant, Josh Wallace, Charles Woods, Darious Williams

This group took a body blow Thursday when Williams (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve. With Durant dealing with his own hamstring injury, the Rams are in a situation where they could need to rely on Wallace and Woods, undrafted free agents, opposite of the veteran White, who is coming back from an Achilles tear that ended his 2023.

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Safety: Kamren Curl, John Johnson III, Quentin Lake, Kamren Kinchens, Russ Yeast, Jaylen McCollough

The Rams were high on Curl when they signed him in free agency, and he has rewarded that confidence with a strong camp, quickly grasping the defense and becoming a leader in the secondary alongside the veteran Johnson.

Lake has settled in to his new role as the star cornerback and will also be looked to as a leader after being named team captain. Kinchens is a candidate to contribute as a rookie given his ability to make plays on the ball.

​ Orange County Register 

A day for celebrating the abuelos of the community

• September 5, 2024

Grandparents do so much, and a special event on Thursday, Sept. 5, was all about celebrating them.

The Día de Los Abuelos celebration hosted at the Delhi Center in Santa Ana offered a morning of pampering and entertainment for older adults in the local community.

The early afternoon celebration was hosted by Mint Insurance Agency, the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Optum Medical Group, with a variety of volunteers jumping in to help.

“This event is our way of showing gratitude and appreciation for the invaluable contributions of our seniors,” said Miriam Ramos Vega, founder of the Mint health insurance agency, who added she was inspired by her grandmother, Nena.

The seniors enjoyed photo shoots, sweet treats and lunch, pampering that included makeovers, and a special performance by the Grammy Award-winning Mariachi DIVAS de Cindy Shea. There was also information on the various resources available to older adults in Orange County.

Getting out the information about the help that is available is so important, said Wendy Reyes-Dorado, CEO of Elite Management Services and Sparkling Events Design, another organizer of the celebration. “There are a lot of services they do not know about. We need to get that information to them. There are a lot of organizations here to help them.”

She also said it is important to make more time for the grandparents and older adults of our community with events like Thursday’s celebration.

“We cannot forget about our values and our traditions,” she said, “and imparting love to our elders.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Should Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, or any full-time DH, win an MVP award?

• September 5, 2024

Shohei Ohtani has been a unicorn since he came to MLB in 2018. So why wouldn’t he be unique in this as well?

Ohtani already has two Most Valuable Player awards to his credit – in 2021 and 2023. He spent most of his time as the Angels’ designated hitter in those two seasons but also made 23 starts as a pitcher each year, going 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 2021 and 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 2023. His unprecedented two-way stardom made him a unanimous MVP selection each year.

Since the designated hitter rule was adopted by the American League in 1973 and full time in the National League in 2022, though, no player who got most of his playing time as a DH – without pitching – has ever won an MVP award.

When Don Baylor won the AL MVP with the Angels in 1979, he started 65 of 162 games at DH, the highest percentage yet for an MVP winner.

Full-time DHs have finished as high as second in the MVP voting four times. David Ortiz came the closest with the Boston Red Sox in 2005. He received 11 first-place votes and finished behind Alex Rodriguez who received 16.

“If he stole 50 bags, he probably would have won it,” Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts said of ‘Big Papi’s’ near-miss.

And that is the crux of Ohtani’s case to add a third MVP to his trophy case – making him only the second player in MLB history to win one in each league (Frank Robinson won in the National League with the Cincinnati Reds in 1961 then in the American League with the Baltimore Orioles five years later).

“I always thought that (a DH shouldn’t win the MVP award),” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who made two starts at DH while winning the NL award with Atlanta in 2020. “But the things he’s doing this year, it’s hard to argue against it.”

Already the fastest of six players in baseball history to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same season, Ohtani will enter play Friday with 44 home runs and 46 steals. The Dodgers have 22 games left for him to become the first 50-50 player.

“I think as baseball people it’s hard to view a DH as winning MVP. But you look up and he has a chance to do something no one’s done before,” Freeman said. “I’ve always thought it would be hard for a DH to win. He’s only out there for four or five at-bats (per game). But when you can potentially go 50-50, we might have to re-think that.

“It would be different if someone else playing was having a ridiculous year too.”

Indeed, no clear challenger has emerged to Ohtani in the NL – even as his offensive production has declined in the second half (he is batting .234 since the All-Star break).

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor offers voters (two BBWAA members in each MLB city) an alternative candidate who plays exceptional defense at a premium position. Lindor is on his way to a 30-30 season – but his offensive numbers fall well short of Ohtani’s in every single category.

Ketel Marte was building a case during the Arizona Diamondbacks’ second-half surge, but he has been on the injured list the past three weeks.

Marcell Ozuna of the Braves might be the only candidate who can rival Ohtani’s offensive production. Ozuna has a higher batting average (.305 to .290), a comparable OPS (Ohtani leads .988 to .949) and nearly identical RBI totals (99 for Ohtani to 98 for Ozuna).

Like Ohtani, though, Ozuna hasn’t played an inning in the field this season, starting all 139 of the Braves’ games at DH.

“I’m not for it. But no DH has ever done what he’s done either,” said Betts, who made three starts at DH during his AL MVP season with the Red Sox in 2018. “I just think the best player that helps his team win – whether it’s all offense or all defense, that’s the MVP. The Most Valuable Player, that’s what it is.

“There’s no right or wrong. I do know without him we wouldn’t be where we are now. You can go with whatever you go off of. But I know we wouldn’t be here without him.”

Manager Dave Roberts is certainly aware of Ohtani’s contributions to the Dodgers’ best record in baseball and agrees that a DH could be the MVP.

“I do feel he would have to have that much of a better season than the field,” Roberts said. “It’s the same argument of could a pitcher win an MVP? I put it in that same discussion.”

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One-way players – pitchers – have won the MVP award in both leagues multiple times over the years, most recently Clayton Kershaw with the Dodgers in 2014.

“MVP should be all-encompassing on what is the most valuable. Obviously defense plays a part in that,” Kershaw said of a DH winning the award. “But if you’re that good offensively that you’re more valuable, then I think it’s okay.”

Ironically, Ohtani’s best challenger for this year’s award might have been his teammate – Betts. The runner-up to Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. a year ago, Betts was having another MVP-level season this year while providing positional versatility on defense. But Betts missed nearly two months after fracturing a bone in his left hand.

“Yeah, for sure,” Betts said when asked if that injury might have robbed fans of a two-man, one-team MVP race in the NL. “That’s always a personal goal. Personal goals don’t really matter. You’d like to get them. But stuff like that, that’s ancillary-type things.

“That would have been cool. But God has his plans.”

​ Orange County Register 

Horse racing notes: Bob Baffert can finish Del Mar meet on high notes

• September 5, 2024

DEL MAR LEADERS

(Through Monday)

Jockeys / Wins

Juan Hernandez / 42

Antonio Fresu / 31

Umberto Rispoli / 27

Hector Berrios / 20

Kyle Frey / 17

Kazushi Kimura / 14

Trainers / Wins

Bob Baffert / 21

John Sadler / 17

Doug O’Neill / 17

Phil D’Amato / 16

Mark Glatt / 15

Peter Miller / 13

WEEKEND STAKES

DEL MAR

Friday

• $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes, California-bred 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs

Saturday

• $300,000, Grade I Del Mar Debutante, 2-year-old fillies, 7 furlongs

• $250,000, Grade II John C. Mabee Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and up, 1⅛ miles on turf

• $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, 2-year-old fillies, 1 mile on turf

Sunday

• $300,000, Grade I Del Mar Futurity, 2-year-olds, 7 furlongs

• $100,000, Grade III Del Mar Juvenile Turf, 2-year-olds, 1 mile on turf

LOS ALAMITOS

Saturday

• $250,000, Grade II Golden State Derby, 3-year-old quarter horses, 400 yards

DOWN THE STRETCH

• Bob Baffert can dominate closing weekend at Del Mar again when he runs multiple undefeated horses in Saturday’s Del Mar Debutante and Sunday’s Del Mar Futurity. The trainer has Nooni (Juan Hernandez riding) and Tenma (Kazushi Kimura) in a field of seven 2-year-old fillies in the Debutante, and Getaway Car (Hernandez), Gaming (Flavien Prat) and Citizen Bull (Mike Smith) among seven 2-year-olds in the Futurity. Baffert has won the Debutante 10 times and the Futurity 17 times, and has won both in the same year six times.

• Anisette (Umberto Rispoli), queen of the Del Mar turf course, faces a challenge in Saturday’s John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar. The field of seven fillies and mares includes Didia (Hector Berrios), winner of three Grade I and II races on the East Coast and seemingly stronger now than she was when she won her only meeting with Anisette, the two running 1-2 in the Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita in October.

• Hernandez, with 11 more wins than Antonio Fresu as the final racing week of the meet began Thursday, is on his way to his third Del Mar summer title in a row. Baffert, four wins ahead of John Sadler and Doug O’Neill, can unseat Phil D’Amato, who won the summer title in 2023 and tied with Baffert in 2022.

• Mixto’s victory with jockey Kyle Frey at 22-1 odds in the Pacific Classic on Saturday received the lowest Equibase speed figure (108) in the 34 runnings of Del Mar’s million-dollar race. Mixto, who beat Full Serrano by a half-length, was clocked in 2:02.10 for 1¼ miles. The Pacific Classic was weakened by the scratch of Adare Manor and the absence of several of California’s top older males.

• Highland Falls’ convincing win with Prat aboard in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga on Sunday made the 4-year-old son of Curlin a threat in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2. Highland Falls jumped into the Classic contenders rankings at No. 6, below Fierceness, City of Troy, Forever Young, Sierra Leone and Dornoch. The rankings are voted by racing writers, handicappers and officials and don’t influence which horses get into the race.

• Prat set a Saratoga record with 18 stakes wins, including 14 in graded stakes and seven in Grade I’s, at the Spa meet that ended on Labor Day. He’s got a good chance of earning the Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey in North America for the first time, ending Irad Ortiz Jr.’s streak at six years.

• The filly Rockin With Energy (Henry Reynoso Lopez riding) looks fastest among three fillies who will try to beat males in Saturday’s Golden State Derby for quarter horses at Los Alamitos.

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• Los Alamitos begins a short thoroughbred season Friday, Sept. 13, racing Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 22, with a 1 p.m. first post. The meet’s two stakes are minor, the Sept. 14 E.B. Johnston and the Sept. 21 Dark Mirage.

• Del Mar announced the schedule for its Oct. 31-Dec. 1 Bing Crosby Season. It will include the Nov. 1-2 Breeders’ Cup races, as well as two other Grade I’s, the Nov. 30 Hollywood Derby and Dec. 1 Matriarch Stakes. After the Thursday-to-Sunday opening week and early starts on the Breeders’ Cup days, racing will be Friday-to-Sunday with first post 12:30 p.m. In a blow to tradition, there will be no Southern California racing on Thanksgiving this year.

— Kevin Modesti

​ Orange County Register 

Swanson: For Sean McVay and the Rams, perspective is everything

• September 5, 2024

Two years ago, our predictions about the Rams were too tall. Last year, too small.

In 2024, those predictions – not too tall, not too small, not too hot or too cold – might be just right.

No, I wouldn’t recommend betting all your gold on the Rams to win another Super Bowl, though they could.

Nor are they a lock to struggle, though they could.

And that space, this realistic balance of expectations, could be a recipe for success, as head coach Sean McVay sees it these days. Because of how McVay sees it these days.

He’s realized, he’s said, after the roller coaster ride his Rams have been on the past few seasons, how important it is to him to be more transformational than transactional in his working relationships.

A notion borne of experiencing the severe drop from top of the football world into an all-out stall in 2022. From the Super Bowl to 5-12, before creeping upward again, steadily, satisfyingly. Last year, the Rams recovered from a 3-6 start by closing the regular season 7-1. It was, McVay said two seasons after winning a championship, his “most rewarding” season.

“If you have the purpose of going on a journey that’s meaningful, where relationships are developed – and, hell yeah, you want to go try to win a championship – but if that’s the only thing that dictates and determines what you deem as successful, for me personally, I’ll be empty,” said McVay on a July podcast with The Athletic’s Robert Mays.

McVay – who at 38 is the fourth-longest tenured NFL coach, entering his eighth season leading the Rams – is an intense, fast-talker who could be a convincing con man if he didn’t have a track record as an actual football savant.

If he weren’t genuinely a philosophical dude, a new dad who says he values sleep more than before and also sounds a little like a golfer because of how much he’s selling us on the mental part of the game, the feel-good, play-good part, and how paramount that is.

For Rams fans, it’s been and still is In McVay They Trust. And why wouldn’t they? He’s six victories away of becoming the franchise’s winningest coach, entering this season ranked third among Rams coaches in games coached (115), playoff games coached (11) and playoff victories (seven).

He’s a head coach you can trust to traverse all of the pesky potholes along the way, issues that would derail many a team.

Because who could be expected to withstand losing the great – greatest – Aaron Donald and not be worse for it?

Who shuffles their offensive line at the starting line, on account of a suspension and injuries, and is better for it? Who trades away Ernest Jones IV, whose 145 tackles just set the team’s single-season record, without blinking? Who goes into a season with the NFL’s second-youngest roster without anticipating growing pains?

Who designates their primary running back as their primary punt returner without raising eyebrows?

Which team enters the fray with the younger of its star receivers just getting healthy and the other just getting older without expecting some turbulence along the route?

No one. No one at all. Including the Rams.

There are so many questions facing them, you’d think they’re opening their season with a midterm exam. And yet, even put together, it doesn’t seem like an insurmountable test heading into Detroit, where the Rams will open their season where they finished it last year, with a 24-23 wild-card loss.

That’s largely because McVay is doing the math on these football decisions and he’s telling us that, no, no one is adding up to a Donald on defense, but that the kids will be all right.

Because the Rams just need “Kobie Turner to be Kobie Turner, Bobby Brown to be Bobby Brown, Braden Fiske to be Braden Fiske …” And McVay has a hunch those guys absorbed enough of Donald’s desire and work ethic via their proximity to the 10-time Pro Bowler who has retired from the NFL and begun his career as a youth coach.

Because it’s by McVay’s calculations that the risk will be worth the reward of having Kyren Williams handle punts. If he thinks it will pay off to further feature the third-year running back who finished third in the NFL with 1,144 rushing yards, maybe it will.

Because, before Puka Nacua was injured in a joint practice with the Chargers, last season’s breakout star rookie spent the offseason learning from Cooper Kupp, one of the best in the business. “He’s a kid,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said of Nacua, “who’s always looking for, ‘How can I get better?’ ‘How can I work an edge here?’ ‘How can I make it easier on myself?’”

And because of what McVay has learned about his necessarily hard job, an edge you might call it.

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“I think a renewed perspective,” McVay said this week when I asked what’s resonating still from last season. “Certainly being a dad has helped gain an appreciation and the appropriate perspective. And really just the experiences, I’m so young, continuing to grow and mature and try to be better in every part of my life.

“When you look back on some of the shortcomings that you’ve had, you realize that these are all great learning opportunities and what a fortunate blessing it is to be in this role, to be around people that I love. You want to work hard to do right by then.

“And also balance, being the best competitor that you can be while understanding there are some things you can control and some things you can’t. But these players, these coaches, they’ve certainly got me feeling really excited about trying to work as hard as I can to do my part to not let them down.”

You know, that sounds about right.

“Grateful for the group of men, the efforts, the way that they worked, and the consistency.” pic.twitter.com/fxfytlLyLT

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 24, 2024

​ Orange County Register 

Ban cell phones in California schools? Georgia shooting raises questions

• September 5, 2024

“School shooting rn,” an Apalachee High School student texted his mother Wednesday morning.

“I’m not joking,” he said, later adding, “someone’s dead.”

The student’s mom posted a screenshot of the exchange on social media, captioning it her “worst (expletive) nightmare” but noting her child was safe. Her son had texted her as the shooting unfolded Wednesday, Sept. 4 — “rn” meaning “right now.”

Two students and two teachers were killed, and others injured, during the attack at the school in Winder, Georgia, by a 14-year-old suspect, according to authorities.

A horrific start to the new school year. And one that raises questions about efforts to ban cell phones in schools.

“I understand the motivation to ban cell phones in classrooms, and I agree with it 100%. When kids are learning, they should not have their phones to distract them,” said Joel Delman, a parent of a high schooler in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which will enact a ban next year.

“But the idea that my son won’t have a way to reach me in an emergency is very scary,” Delman added. “I’m not a helicopter parent, but I want to be able to reach my child.”

Across California, there have been concerted efforts to greatly restrict or outright ban the use of cell phones, particularly smartphones, in schools. The idea, according to proponents, is to limit distractions to learning and curtail harm to mental health.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a letter to school leaders last month, encouraged districts to enact restrictions on smartphones on campuses.

“The evidence is clear: reducing phone use in class leads to improved concentration, better academic outcomes and enhanced social interactions,” Newsom said in the letter dated Aug. 13.

“Every classroom should be a place of focus, learning and growth,” he added. “Working together, educators, administrators and parents can create an environment where students are fully engaged in their education, free from the distractions on the phones and pressures of social media.”

A few weeks after that letter, state legislators passed a bill requiring local education agencies to adopt policies that limit or prohibit the use of smartphones while at school. The policy, according to the bill, would need to be updated every five years.

While Newsom has backed restrictions on cell phones in schools, he does not believe students should be prohibited from possessing or using them in the event of an emergency or “in response to a perceived threat of danger,” Elana Ross, a spokesperson for the governor, said Thursday.

The governor does intend to sign that bill, AB 3216, Ross said.

“The current legislation retains that key provision at the urging of the administration to ensure that common sense restrictions do not infringe on the very real need for students and families, and law enforcement, to have every means available to communicate in these horrifying circumstances,” Ross said.

For Los Angeles Unified, a blanket district-wide cell phone ban isn’t coming until 2025, but individual schools have already enacted policies. LAUSD board member Nick Melvoin, who championed the district’s ban, said those schools have reported a decrease in fighting and an increase in engagement.

Melvoin, in a recent opinion article for the Los Angeles Times, acknowledged concerns about cell phone bans in emergencies. But he cited reports that suggest it might be safer for kids to pay attention to adults rather than be focused on their phone during an emergency or that too many 911 calls could overwhelm a switchboard.

“School officials, not parents, need to be executing emergency plans and communicating with teachers, parents and law enforcement,” Melvoin said.

Newport-Mesa Unified in Orange County updated its cell phone policy in October 2023, with differing rules for elementary and high school students.

High school students must keep cell phones off during instructional time but can use their devices in the event of an emergency or a perceived threat of danger, when authorized by a teacher or licensed physician or if its use is required by the student’s individualized education program.

For younger students, cell phones are not permitted and must be off and placed out of sight during the school day. Students can use phones in the school office if needed.

“We continually evaluate the impact of the policy in our schools and make adjustments to help students focus on their academics and engage with each other in meaningful ways,” said Annette Franco, a spokesperson for the district.

In Georgia, a new alert system at Apalachee High is being credited with likely saving lives when the shooting unfolded Wednesday. School staff were equipped with a special ID that has a button that, when pushed, alerts the school, other teachers and law enforcement, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Officers reportedly responded to the school within minutes after receiving those alerts.

The system also triggered flashing lights and a lockdown message that played throughout the campus, according to the newspaper. Students told the newspaper that classroom boards popped up a “lockdown” message even before they began to hear gunshots.

In 2022, it was at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman wreaked havoc, killing 19 students and two teachers.

Amid the horror, a 10-year-old student made a series of 911 calls, begging for help. “Please, I don’t want to die. My teacher is dead. Oh, my God,” the student said.

For Delman, it’s not just school shootings that concern him when it comes to cell phone bans. Aside from just the logistics parents must navigate with a high schooler’s everchanging schedule, he lives in Southern California; earthquakes are a fear, as well.

“The fact that LAUSD is going to remove my child’s phone frightens me,” he said.

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​ Orange County Register 

Remains of Redlands couple who went missing from nudist resort positively identified

• September 5, 2024

The remains of a Redlands couple believed killed by their nudist camp neighbor have been positively identified, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The bodies of Stephanie Menard, 73, and Daniel Menard, 79, were officially identified Thursday, Sept. 5, according to Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Mara Rodriguez.

According to the Redlands Police Department, the Menards’ bodies were discovered Aug. 29 beneath the home of neighbor Michael Royce Sparks, 62. He was arrested and charged with two counts of murder, including a special circumstance allegation of committing multiple homicides. Sparks is being held without bail at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. Police have not disclosed a motive for the alleged killings.

Sparks has yet to enter a plea in the case. His arraignment has been twice delayed, first on Wednesday and again Thursday.

The Menards and Sparks lived in the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort, located in Reche Canyon on the border of Redlands and Colton.

The Menards’ car was found abandoned on a road inside the resort on Aug. 24, the keys still in the ignition. Stephanie Menard’s purse and her husband’s cellphone were found inside their mobile home nearby.

A friend reported the couple missing the next day, police said. Residents of the resort grew concerned about the couple’ disappearance, telling police Daniel Menard suffered from dementia. The couple’s white shih tzu, Cuddles, is missing and has not been found.

More on the Menard case

Search continues for elderly Redlands couple who went missing from nudist ranch
Redlands police recover human remains from under nudist resort home
Redlands nudist resort reeling from resident’s arrest on suspicion of killing 2 neighbors
Redlands man charged with murder in suspected dismemberment of elderly couple

​ Orange County Register