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Parents and residents criticize board president over wife’s social-media post; president denies allegation
Summary
At the Oct. 13 Glendora Unified board meeting, public commenters faulted Board President Clifford and his family’s private social-media post—linking it to a hostile climate for Latino students—while Clifford denied the claim and defended his wife; no formal board action was taken.
Board President Clifford faced sharp public criticism at the Glendora Unified School District board meeting on Oct. 13 after multiple speakers raised concerns about a private social-media message attributed to his wife and its effects on students.
At public comment, Devon Wimpel, who said she holds a degree in English education, accused Clifford of trying to limit public speech and of attempting to intimidate speakers. "I'm here because of Clifford's cowardly attempt to intimidate the speakers into not speaking on it at all," Wimpel said, urging the board to focus on student safety and to support those who spoke up.
Steve Rodriguez, identifying himself as a parent of three district students, said a private Instagram message attributed to Clifford's wife included the phrase "keep ICE coming," which he described as an invitation for aggressive immigration enforcement and harmful to Latino students. "That is an invocation for them to come here," Rodriguez said, arguing the post deepened a hostile climate for students of color.
Mike Baron, another resident who spoke afterward, defended Clifford and law enforcement and said the Instagram message was private and later shared without consent. "That Instagram message was not posted for the public," Baron said.
President Clifford responded from the dais, denying the specific allegation that his wife had contacted a high school student and defending the district's safety procedures. "My wife never communicated with a high school student or anyone at Glendora High School," Clifford said. "That is a falsehood." He said the district has strong policies to protect students and pledged to investigate who shared the private message.
The remarks followed earlier comments from a student who had raised concerns during a prior meeting; several board members and staff present were praised by commenters for meeting the student's needs. No formal disciplinary or policy action was taken during the Oct. 13 meeting. The exchange underscored heightened community attention to social media, student safety and how private online speech can ripple into school settings.
