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Students urge board to enforce club supervision after pro‑ICE poster on campus
Summary
Student speakers told the Beaumont Unified School District board that a pro‑ICE poster displayed by a club disrupted learning and made immigrant students feel unsafe, and they asked the board to hold clubs and advisors accountable while staff said the district is reviewing the situation.
Cambria Denton, a junior at Beaumont High School, told the board on Jan. 27 that signage displayed by a student club during a school activity included messages reading "I support ICE" and "abortion is murder," and she said those signs created a hostile environment that disrupted learning.
"Hate speech should not be loud on campus," Denton said, adding that clubs and their advisors must be held to district standards. She cited the Beaumont Unified School District policy that prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying across protected characteristics and said the incident violated those expectations.
An earlier public commenter described the poster as "menacing," said it caused fear and anxiety among immigrant students and urged "better supervision of the school clubs and for the advisor to take responsibility of what happened." That speaker asked the board to ensure the district remains an inclusive, safe learning environment for all students.
Superintendent Kakish acknowledged the district has been meeting with students and administrators to address club standards and said site administrators and ASB met with students on Jan. 23 to discuss feelings about student clubs on campus. The superintendent said the district has been reminding staff and students of expectations and that the principal's office had posted guidance on the school website about maintaining a safe, respectful campus.
No formal disciplinary outcome tied to this specific club incident was announced during the public session. The board did approve a separate student discipline case (item 8.1) earlier in the meeting; the transcript records the motion carried but does not include a public tally or naming of the student involved.
Why it matters: Trustees heard students describe how messages displayed during school activities can affect classmates' sense of safety and asked administrators to follow up. The board did not enact a new policy at the meeting but was briefed that staff have engaged with students and site leadership to address the disruption.
