Parent urges Banning Unified to equip life-skills classrooms with refrigerators, washer hookups

At its Aug. 14 regular meeting, the Banning Unified School District board of trustees heard from Maria Lopez Torres, who said the district’s life-skills classrooms lack basic kitchen appliances and that the deficiency prevents students with special needs from receiving hands-on instruction.

"We currently have no refrigerator in our second classroom. In fact, there is no kitchen washer set up in that room either," Lopez Torres said, asking the board and district leadership to "prioritize funding and installation of these basic appliances" at both the middle and high school life-skills classrooms.

Lopez Torres said the missing appliances force teachers to transport ingredients and utensils to other facilities, reducing instructional time and limiting students’ ability to practice food preparation, storage and cleaning. She argued Measure O funds — which are intended for facility improvements and hands-on programs — are an appropriate source for the purchases and invited trustees to visit the classrooms in person.

A board member later asked Superintendent Davis for more information about the request; the public-comment period closed without a formal motion on the appliances during the meeting. The board’s public‑comment rules state trustees will not respond to speakers during the comment period but may refer matters to district staff or place them on a future agenda.

The meeting record shows no dollar amounts or procurement plan for the appliances were provided during the comment and that Measure O was referenced only as a potential funding source; any use of Measure O funds would be subject to future staff analysis and formal board action.

Next steps: A trustee asked for additional information from Superintendent Davis during the meeting; the transcript records no formal motion or vote on the appliances at this session.