Students urge Beaumont Unified board to block Turning Point USA club

Students told the Beaumont Unified School District Board on Nov. 18 that a proposed Turning Point USA chapter should not be allowed on campus, saying the group’s history would threaten student safety and divide the school community.

At the public-comment podium, a student identified in the record as Hayden said the proposed chapter is “not appropriate or safe in today's political climate” and warned it would “encourage dangerous rhetoric” that could further divide students. Sofia de la Ronda, introduced by the clerk to speak next, said she is “a strong believer in everyone being entitled to their own opinions” but argued that “a school club should not be promoting exclusion or making other students feel unsafe.” She told trustees: “Turning Point USA is an organization that has targeted many minority groups…Allowing this club onto our campus is going to cause huge division and tension throughout our school.”

Trustees responded by emphasizing the district’s established process for approving student clubs. Board member David Sanchez noted the role of an advisor and the ASB student government in club approval, saying the advisor helps develop a constitution that typically includes a membership minimum and a nondiscrimination clause before ASB approval. “If the process is followed it weeds itself out,” Sanchez said, adding that student-elected ASB representatives ultimately decide membership questions.

The board did not take formal action to approve or deny the club during the meeting. Trustees indicated matters involving recognized student organizations will proceed through the ASB and advisor review process, and any request or challenge will be handled under those procedures.