A San Diego County Civil Grand Jury report released June 1 has sharply criticized the Grossmont Union High School District Board for a 2023 decision that left students without on-campus mental health care for four months. The investigation found that the board’s cancellation of a contract with San Diego Youth Services (SDYS) was not based on performance issues or misconduct, but rather on false claims about the provider’s support for LGBTQ+ students.
In June 2023, the board had unanimously approved a governance plan citing a growing need for student mental health support and suicide prevention. Yet just one month later, after a single public comment from Anthony Carnevale—a Cajon Valley Union School Board member with no mental health training—accused SDYS of being part of a “groomer cartel” due to its Our Safe Place program for transgender and questioning youth, the board voted to end the long-standing contract.
The grand jury noted that the program was not even part of the district contract and was not offered on school sites. The report described the decision as impetuous and made with little effort to verify the claims.
Students and parents were stunned, with many tearfully pleading at subsequent board meetings for the contract to be renewed, explaining how the disruption would harm their mental health. Site administrators and staff were also caught off guard, with no transition plan in place.
The gap in services lasted four months until a new provider, Wellness Together, was brought in. The SDYS contract controversy was the first public test of the board’s conservative Christian majority, which has also been involved in other contentious decisions, such as laying off all librarians and facing a lawsuit from a special education administrator who alleged she was pushed out for being a lesbian.
The district settled that suit for $700,000. Additionally, the board created an administrative job in 2025 for Jerry Hobbs, a former teacher who had been fired by the same administrator for allegedly making racist and sexist remarks.
Hobbs later worked for a law firm hired to investigate the administrator and then was hired as chief of staff on the same night the board voted to terminate librarians. The grand jury report referenced these ongoing controversies, noting that the SDYS decision has fostered persistent distrust between the community and the board, affecting student wellbeing.
While grand jury reports are not binding, they require a response within 90 days. District spokesperson Collin McGlashen said the district is reviewing the report but argued it relies on publicly available information and presents little new evidence.