California school board president ordered to pay legal fees after LGBTQ flag debate, death threats

A California school board president who received death threats after the district banned the display of banners other than the American or California state flag has been ordered to pay legal fees to one member of the community.

Trustees representing the Sunol Glen School Unified School District in the East Bay, which serves 270 K-8 students, voted Sept. 12 on the new rule, which critics claimed was a backdoor attempt to remove the Pride flag and other progressive symbols from school grounds.

Sunol Glen School Board President Ryan Jergensen was one of the members who voted to restrict the display of non-governmental flags.

"Apparently, the death threats, the cost of having to pay for attorney's fees and face this litigation is the cost of a parent – I'm the only parent on the school board standing up and wanting to keep the school neutral for all families," Jergensen told Fox News Digital.

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"I mean, I don't mind if you're left, right, center, what political bent or belief system you have. I have never tried to put my beliefs on the school. All I have asked is that we keep the school neutral for children and for the families," he added.

Jergensen was previously granted a temporary restraining order against former school trustee Denise Kent Romo. She is married to current Trustee Peter "Ted" Romo and served on the board from 2016 to 2021 before resigning for health reasons. Jergensen was appointed to fill her seat and later won a full term in November 2022.

The restraining order was filed, according to Jergensen, after he received numerous death threats targeting him and his family. Several of the death threats allegedly highlighted claims from Kent Romo, who had suggested Jergensen was anti-LGBTQ and associated with extremist organizations.

"Enjoy your weekend. It could be your last," one anonymous email sender told him.

"When did oppression become your main goal?" another death threat asked. "Maybe hunting Christians or those of hate should be the backlash? Watch yourselves—for the oppressed will rise and one can only hope they do not act like you—or you may need to hide your kids, your wives, your husband's and anything you 'love.'"

Ted Romo previously told The Pleasanton Weekly that he disagrees with Jergensen trying to draw an association between the death threats and his wife's public comments. He also suggested that the restraining order was an attempt to silence those who opposed the flag resolution vocally.

Jergensen said Kent Romo hired attorneys who told him if they needed to go to court to litigate or defend against the restraining order, Kent Romo and her team would file motions to ask that Jergensen pay legal fees.

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The lawyers also threatened to invoke anti-SLAPP laws, which are intended to prevent people from using courts to intimidate those who are exercising First Amendment rights.  

According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, under most anti-SLAPP statutes, the defendant makes a motion to strike the case because it involves speech on a matter of public concern.

Jergensen said the restraining order was made to stop Kent Romo from making false statements about him that he believed were leading to harassment against him and his family. Jergensen claimed he merely wanted to "bring the temperature down."

He allegedly offered to remove the restraining order once the death threats and public scrutiny had subsided. Lawyers for Kent Romo deemed the offer unacceptable and said they would file for fees if the order was not removed by the Mar. 27 hearing date.

Jergensen then dismissed the temporary restraining order. However, the day after Christmas, Kent Romo and her lawyers still filed a motion to have him pay over $9,000 in legal fees.

"It's not like I was bringing this claim of wanting a temporary restraining order frivolously. And it was not in bad faith. It was something I was doing in good faith to try to protect my family. So, I thought that would weigh on the mind of the judge. But unfortunately, in Alameda County, we don't have judges who consider those things as well.," Jergensen said.

By obliging the request to dismiss the case, the judge ruled that Kent Romo was the prevailing party and ordered Jergensen to pay attorney fees. The amount awarded was reduced slightly and Romo is being asked to fork over $8,455.

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"As I understood these communications, it was if you dismiss it, we will be done. If you don't dismiss it, we're going to sue you for anti-SLAPP and attorney's fees. I dismiss it. I try to be the nice guy. A month later, they're now bringing a motion for attorney fees," he said.

In a statement to The Pleasanton Weekly, Kent Romo said she was pleased with the case's outcome but suggested the situation was not merely about the money.

"The fees that my attorneys and I asked for are fairly nominal. I actually asked my attorneys to simply request a public apology from Ryan and for him to own the terrible untruthful headlines. That is all I wanted. But, he declined," she said.

"(Jergensen) and CM Affairs ran a successful smear campaign against me for a short while," Kent Romo said. "Untruthful headlines and Ryan's interviews left me and my family reeling from grim targeted voicemails, messages and social media comment trolls."

Jergensen said he was frustrated by the state of politics and discourse in the United States, noting the turmoil in his small school district is just a microcosm of what is happening on a national level.

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Despite the legal drama, Jergensen said the flag resolution is still in place. However, he noted that teachers' unions are trying to challenge it through various means.

Two of the three school board members are facing a recall election in July. A successful recall would leave one singular member, who Jergensen described as more progressive. The school is shelling out close to $20,000 to run the special election and send out ballots.

"We would love to get normal, freethinking people to voice their opinion and stand up for some sort of middle ground that isn't polarized one way or the other. That is going to keep the school neutral so that all children and all families can enjoy the school. But we are, we're under attack," he continued.

The Romos did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment.