An outside investigation into a chaotic protest that erupted outside a Laguna Beach Unified School District board meeting in May has cleared demonstrators of any criminal wrongdoing, even as it found the district was unprepared to manage the crowd that showed up. The Board of Education voted 5-0 to release the findings at its Sept. 10 meeting, closing out a review that examined everything from surveillance footage to text messages exchanged among staff.
The report, dated Aug. 24, was compiled by investigators Ruth Perez Ashley and Thomas Hickman at the request of the district’s law firm, Dannis Woliver Kelley. According to publicrecordlaguna.com, investigators reviewed surveillance footage and other videos, emails, text messages, policies and records, and interviewed all five trustees along with district personnel and community members, including board members James Kelly and Joan Malczewski. The investigation also included interviews with Scott Wittkop and Thasa Zuziak, and investigators reportedly conducted interviews with 14 individuals in mid-July. Board President Sheri Morgan said the review assessed existing procedures and recommended stronger safety protocols compliant with the First Amendment and applicable law, according to the Los Angeles Times.
What Happened on May 14
The protest unfolded the same evening the board voted 3-2 to appoint Don Austin as superintendent, just two days after trustees had voted 3-2 to execute a separation agreement with outgoing superintendent Jason Glass. Police estimated approximately 100 parents, students and district staff took part, while witnesses put the number closer to 200, per the Los Angeles Times. Demonstrators gathered outside the Thurston Middle School library, where the meeting was held, chanting “shame on you” and directing heated remarks at Morgan, Trustee Dee Perry and Trustee Howard Hills. Video footage reviewed by investigators showed protesters also directing derogatory comments at Hills.
District official Joseph Vidal notified school resource officers and supervisory staff to monitor campus activity and delayed the protest until after student dismissal, the Times reported. Vidal said students initially complied with his requests to stop yelling but later became unruly. The public largely complied with instructions to arrive during a specified 3:30 p.m. timeframe after buses had already left campus. Morgan told the paper she was escorted from her car into the board room by two police officers and described walking through the crowd as a gauntlet and a walk of shame.
Investigators Find No Crime, but Note Confusion Over Perry
Investigators concluded the May 14 demonstration amounted to protected First Amendment activity and found no evidence of criminal activity or intent to physically harm board members, staff, parents, children or anyone else, according to publicrecordlaguna.com’s account of the report. The investigative report characterized the demonstration as an intense, loud exercise of First Amendment rights targeted at specific board members, and investigators determined the meeting itself was louder and more disruptive than usual but remained nonviolent…