Chino Valley Unified School District

July 10, 2025

Dear Chino Valley USD Families,

It is with deep regret that I share that earlier today, former School Resource Officer (SRO) Matthew Solano was arrested and booked into the West Valley Detention Center on charges of Lewd and Lascivious Acts with a Child and Child Annoyance.

Following the District’s immediate report to the Chino Police Department that it had received allegations of inappropriate misconduct between Officer Solano and a Magnolia JHS student, the Chino Police Department swiftly removed Officer Solano from his assignment and placed him on paid administrative leave pending an external investigation conducted by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

During the course of its investigation, the Sheriff’s Department identified an additional student victim. Last week, SBC Sheriff’s completed its investigation and forwarded its findings to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office for review. Prior to Officer Solano’s arrest, I met with Police Chief Mensen to discuss the investigation. Chief Mensen shared that his department is strongly committed to protecting the Chino Valley community and its youth, and will be conducting a comprehensive review of CPD’s internal policies related to School Resource Officers, including selection, supervision, and training protocols.

I am grateful for the immediate response and transparency demonstrated by Chief Mensen and his staff. While Officer Solano’s conduct is a direct violation of our trust and extremely unfortunate, I believe that it does not represent the outstanding character of our Chino Police Department. CPD leadership and personnel have continuously collaborated with the Chino Valley USD School Board, Executive Cabinet, and school staff to ensure the safety, wellbeing, and education of our youth. They sponsor activities such as Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) to educate our junior and senior high school students of the dangers of driving impaired, they join us for our annual Parent Information Forum to educate parents and guardians about responsible social media/technology use and connecting with our youth to deter substance abuse, they host “Cops and Kids” where officers visit school sites during school lunches to play and connect with CVUSD students, and they schedule D.A.R.E. coursework with our 5^th grade students to give elementary school children skills to resist peer pressure, gang involvement, and violent behavior.

At this time, I would like to strongly encourage all CVUSD students and families to report any suspicious or potentially threatening activity as soon as possible and to remember that the District’s digital One-Stop-Shop is full of wonderful resources that encourage student safety and wellbeing. The One-Stop-Shop can be accessed from all school and district website.

Finally, this unfortunate incident has highlighted the importance of fostering a strong collaboration and channel of communication between school and home and guaranteeing that parents and guardians are informed of matters regarding their students. When we constructively and openly work together, our students thrive!

My staff and I sincerely appreciate the trust you have invested in the District to protect your children and we will continue to work with our educational partners to ensure a positive and safe school climate is provided to each young scholar enrolled in the Chino Valley Unified School District.

Parents and guardians with questions or who have information related to this criminal investigation are invited to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department at (909) 387-3700. A copy of the District and Chino Police Department’s press releases are attached to this correspondence for your reference.

Sincerely,

Norm Enfield, Ed.D.
Superintendent