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Board member urges guardrails after student walkouts, cites safety and parental‑notification gaps
Summary
Board member Susie Lara told trustees recent student political walkouts at Beaumont Unified schools revealed gaps in parental notification and student location tracking; she asked the board to consider policy 'guardrails' so parents can be informed and the district can account for students who leave campus during school hours.
Board member Susie Lara urged the Beaumont Unified School District board on March 3 to adopt clearer procedures after students staged political walkouts at district middle and high schools.
"I am definitely not okay with students walking out without checking out," Lara said during board reports, arguing the district has a responsibility to know where students are during the school day so parents can be notified if problems arise.
Lara said the student handbook requires prior notification for a pupil engaging in a civic or political event and asked the board to put "guardrails" in place so parents are informed and district staff can locate students who leave campus. She framed the request as a student‑safety and liability concern and asked that the board discuss potential policy or practice changes.
The call for follow‑up echoed earlier public comment from Edgar Garcia, who said parents deserve "transparency, accountability, and timely responses" when student‑safety concerns arise. Board member Dr. Lamston Sylvester asked that staff follow up with the public commenter so trustees can clarify whether speakers were asserting students are unsafe; staff said they would do so.
The transcript records Lara’s request and a staff follow‑up commitment but does not show the board taking formal action or voting on a policy change at this meeting. Next steps recorded in the meeting: staff were asked to follow up with the public commenter and the board may place any proposed policy on a future agenda for discussion and action.
