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Parents ask Beaumont Unified to retract email that barred presenter Cesar Lopez
Summary
At the Oct. 14 Beaumont Unified board meeting, family‑engagement co‑chairs Sonia Colchado and Melissa Huggins said district leadership sought to bar teacher and community presenter Cesar Lopez after his Oct. 2 talk and demanded a formal retraction and apology, citing Education Code section 35147.
Parents and parent‑advisory leaders urged the Beaumont Unified School District Board of Trustees on Oct. 14 to rescind an email they say barred a community presenter from future Family and Community Engagement (FACE) meetings.
"The next morning, we got an email from doctor Grama stating that the presentation that Mister Lopez provided was actually very divisive and offensive, and that he was no longer, welcome or invited to join our parent advisory committees," said Sonia Colchado, who identified herself as a FACE co‑chair and parent in the district. She said the presenter, Cesar Lopez, attended the Oct. 2 meeting as a community member and that parents found the presentation "informative and impactful."
Colchado asked the board to retract the district email and issue a formal apology to Lopez. "He was not divisive. He was, if anything, encouraging bridges between the families and this school district," she said.
Melissa Huggins, also a FACE co‑chair and parent, told trustees that attendees left the meeting feeling "empowered" and asked whether the district now intends to limit who may speak at parent‑advisory events. "Are you now asking us as parent volunteers to not volunteer, or you're only asking us when you feel you need to check a box?" Huggins asked.
Both speakers cited what they described as a legal obligation for public access: Colchado referenced "Education Code 35147 that states that any meeting, held by a council or committee shall be open to the public and any members of the public shall be able to address the council or committee during the meeting on any item that's on our agenda." Neither speaker asserted the board had followed up with formal action; they requested a retraction and apology.
Board president Melissa Williamson thanked the speakers and closed the public‑comment period. The transcript does not record an immediate response from district leadership addressing the requested retraction during the meeting.
Why it matters: FACE committees are a primary mechanism for parent engagement on site‑level matters; parents said the district's email curtailed community participation and urged the board to clarify who may speak and how volunteer committees select presenters. The speakers said the dispute touches on cultural representation and parent‑district partnerships.
What the board did: The board did not vote or take formal action on the request during the meeting; trustees moved on to the next agenda items after public comment concluded.
