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Parents tell Beaumont Unified board nurse retroactively revoked long‑standing medical exemptions
Summary
Two parents told the Beaumont Unified School District board that nurse-initiated revocations of long‑held medical exemptions—including one they say led to threats of student removal—denied due process; the parents said student services later granted an appeal after they escalated the matter to the board.
Two parents told the Beaumont Unified School District board on Sept. 23 that district nursing staff unlawfully revoked medical exemptions for their children and initially denied them a fair appeal.
"My child had a medical exemption on file, which we were accused of being a fake," Amina Edwards said during public testimony. She said her freshman received a removal letter in late August and that a second child, a junior, received a similar threat the next day. "I demanded my child's right to an appeal," she said, adding that appeals were repeatedly denied by the district nurse she named as Amy Hanley.
Ken Edwards, who spoke after his wife, told the board the district retroactively removed exemptions he said were grandfathered under SB 277 and urged trustees to review other exemptions revoked in late August. "We want you guys to review those and see which ones were unlawful," he said.
The Edwardses said they were ultimately given an appeal with student services only after they sent a mass email to the board and that student services then provided the reasoning and supporting documentation. They said many other parents may not have known they had appeal rights. The couple also said they have filed a federal civil‑rights complaint and a complaint through the district portal.
Board members did not immediately announce any formal follow‑up at the meeting beyond the public testimony; the superintendent and staff said student services provided assistance in their case. The Edwardses requested that the district review other late‑August exemption revocations, particularly for students with disabilities.
Speakers in the public record referenced California law and public‑health protocols, including SB 277 and guidance from the California Department of Public Health, when arguing that exemptions granted before 2016 should remain grandfathered. The board did not vote on the matter during the meeting.
The board did not provide a response on the record beyond staff noting student services’ involvement. The parents’ written complaints and the district’s appeal paperwork were referenced in testimony but not entered into the public minutes during the meeting.
What happens next: the board heard the testimony during public comment; no formal board motion on the exemptions occurred that evening. Parents and community members seeking redress should consult the district’s published appeal procedures; the Edwardses said they had to press the district to receive procedural information.
