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Hundreds of residents urge Laguna Beach Unified to keep student with special needs in district
Summary
Dozens of parents, teachers and alumni urged the Laguna Beach Unified School District to reverse a staff decision to place a longtime local special-education student, "Sailor," at an out-of-district school, saying the move harms the student and the broader community; the board said staff will follow up.
Dozens of community members told the Laguna Beach Unified School District board on Aug. 15 that a decision to place a local student with special needs outside the district undermines the district’s stated commitment to serve “every student every day.”
Speakers described long family ties to Laguna Beach and urged the board to reverse what they described as a painful, avoidable separation. Stuart Jones, the student’s father, said his daughter had been denied entry to Laguna Beach High School “because we don’t have a program,” and pressed the board to match its website language with practice. Presley Jones, a rising senior and the student’s sister, described hearing her sister say, “because I’m not good enough,” after learning she would attend another high school.
Teachers, parents and longtime residents said the district has the facilities and staff to serve students with minor and moderate disabilities locally and warned that shipping students out erodes inclusion. Anne Herzog, who identified herself as director of Laguna Presbyterian Preschool, told the board the student’s placement “is not the least restrictive environment” and said the student’s rights were “federally protected.” Several speakers said the district had paid tuition for other special-needs students at private schools, arguing that suggests in-district solutions are feasible.
Board members acknowledged the speakers and declined to overturn district staff decisions in public session. President Vickers said the board does not make individualized special-education placements and asked staff to follow up with the Jones family. “Staff will follow-up on this issue,” the board said, offering a process-oriented next step rather than an immediate reversal.
The public comments highlighted a recurring tension between district-level special-education placement decisions and community expectations about inclusion. Speakers asked the board to use its oversight role to ensure school staff pursue least-restrictive placements and to report back publicly on what steps will be taken.
The board did not vote on any policy change during the meeting. Staff agreed to investigate the case and report back; the board did not set a date for that follow-up.
