Hillmen Foundation expresses thanks for Tailgate Party success

On behalf of the Hillmen Foundation Board of Directors, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made this year's Hillmen Foundation Tailgater Party such a success. It was a wonderful evening of food, fellowship and Hillmen spirit - all in support of academics, athletics and student activities at Placer High School. We want to thank Carol's Market, Placer Co. Vintners Association, Crooked Lane, Two Ass Brewing Company, the City of Auburn, Placer High School, Placer Union High School District, Recology, Liquor Outlet, Uptown Signs and all who contributed raffle and silent auction items — more than 50 in total! A special highlight of the evening was the performance of the Placer High fight song by members of the Golden Hillmen Marching Band, which brought the crowdto their feet. Thanks to Dave Lawrenson and the band for taking the time on a game night to visit our event. We are especially grateful to our Tailgater Partners whose generous sponsorships and donations made this event possible. Our Gold Partners are Jeffrey and Geri Jarvis, Bo & Heidi Magnussen, and Warehouse Paint. Our Green Partners are Auburn Medical Group, Johnson Family, Lightfoot Mobile Truck Emissions, Shana Fain McDonald & Family, Paz Family and SAGE Financial Partners. We invite everyone to view and thank all of our Tailgater Partners and raffle donors at hillmenfoundation.org/tailgater-partners-2025. Because of your generosity, we raised significant funds that will go directly to bridging funding gaps and enhancing the learning environment at Placer High School. As an all-volunteer board, the Hillmen Foundation ensures that 100 percent of proceeds are invested back into our mission to support our historic high school, its students and community. Thank you again to our incredible community for helping us make this event a success and for supporting our mission to keep the Hillmen spirit strong for generations to come. Sincerely, David Odom Chair, Board of Directors Hillmen Foundation Placer Union's actions suggest partisan ideology On Sept. 16, 2025, the Placer Union High School District (PUHSD) Board of Trustees had a special meeting to "Review and consider approval of Attorney Engagement Agreement with Advocates for Faith & Freedom for preparation of amicus brief in pending U.S. Supreme Court cases." For context, an amicus brief is a legal document supplied to a court of law containing advice or information relating to a case from a person or organization that is not directly involved in the case. The PUHSD board was approached by "Faith & Freedom," offering at no charge this Attorney Engagement Agreement. "Client is engaging Firm for the following purposes: to prepare amicus brief on behalf of client to be filed with the US Supreme Court in the cases Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., addressing questions under Title IX related to fairness in girls' athletics." The board approved (with one Nay) the Attorney Engagement Agreement. Although signing this contract appears to be at no charge, the following portion of the agreement appears to have the potential to incur costs to the district, "Client (PUHSD) further agrees to appear at all legal proceedings when Firm (Faith and Freedom), deems it necessary. For purposes of clarity, legal proceedings include but are not limited to hearings, court ordered conferences, mediations, and arbitrations." My question is, will the board be ordered to appear for legal proceedings, and if so, at what cost? This is unclear. PUHSD does not have anything pending in the US Supreme Court and the amicus brief had not been filed as of Sept. 16, when the board approved the agreement. Did PUHSD approve this agreement before seeing the amicus brief? This is unclear. What is clear is that PUHSD is not in need of these legal services. It is important for our community to understand more about Faith and Freedom since the board has approved signing this contract. According to their website, they have a Five-Fold Mission as follows: 1) Mobilize and train people of faith to vote and flex their political muscles. 2-4) See https://faith-freedom.com/ 5) Protest bigotry and discrimination against people of faith. In addition to Faith and Freedom's mission, their "Statement on Marriage and Sexual Relations for Adoption by Religious Organizations" (under the "Issues" tab) removes any ambiguity about their doctrine. The Faith and Freedom website (https://faith-freedom.com/) states their political goals and ideology. I believe the board, (other than one member who voted nay) by signing this contract suggests they share and/or support the partisan political ideology of the Faith and Freedom organization. I recommend PUHSD parents, and the community, consider whether the board's action supporting this amicus brief is a disservice to students and parents who do not align with the ideology of the Faith & Freedom organization. Is the PUHSD board acting to protect the rights of ALL students, teachers and parents in our community or are they focused primarily on protecting the rights of those who align with the ideology of the Faith and Freedom organization? For further reference: https://goldcountrymedia.com/news/325696/placer-union-high-school-district-approves-title-ix-resolution/ https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-06-25/california-title-ix-violation-ocr-finds Sincerely, Emily Gaber Auburn