The Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) board at its Oct. 28 meeting discussed a new policy that would prohibit district staff from engaging in “religious indoctrination” and require parents and guardians to be given the option to opt out of any instruction based on their religious beliefs.
The policy stems from a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, which held that not providing guardians with those options constituted a violation of their religious freedoms under the First Amendment.
The policy considered by BHUSD board members was drafted by the California School Boards Association (CSBA).
Mahmoud v. Taylor involved an elementary school curriculum in Montgomery County in Maryland from 2022 that included several books with references to LGBTQ children or adults. Following a lawsuit brought by parents, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of providing notification and an opt-out policy if and when those books were read and discussed.
On Oct. 28, the BHUSD board was presented with CSBA’s draft policy. Despite being instigated by Mahmoud v. Taylor, the policy prepared by CSBA did not reference LGBTQ. books or single out elementary schools. Rather, the proposed language offered broad regulations prohibiting district employees from interfering with students’ religious beliefs or engaging in “religious indoctrination.”
The draft reads, in part, “Teachers and other district staff shall be highly sensitive to their obligation not to interfere with the religious development of any student in whatever tradition the student embraces, and treat all religions and religious convictions, including nonbelief, with fairness and respect.”
The draft also requires that parents and guardians be notified and have the option to opt out of instruction “based on their religious beliefs,” and that students who are opted out must be offered an alternate educational activity.
Many members of the board found the language offered by CSBA too vague.
“It is supposed to be for sincerely held religious beliefs, which is not an issue, but if you look at different experiences in schools, unless we are very clear, there could be a lot of reasons for [opting out] … it’s a much broader and philosophical conversation,” said Board Member Amanda Stern.
Board Member Russell Stuart agreed.
“What [was] passed was fairly specific, and then this is incredibly broad,” he said. “Now, you kind of open up these floodgates to cherry-pick anything that might cross your religious understanding … my understanding when this rule came down from the federal government was [that it was] very specific on a topic.”
BHUSD Superintendent Alex Cherniss requested that board members come up with wording that more accurately reflects the intent of the policy.
“We’re hearing ‘no specifics,'” he said. “If the board, between now and the next meeting, wants to provide us with specific language, please do that and we’ll bring it back for second reading.”
In other business, the board narrowly approved a resolution recognizing ten nationally observed Heritage and Pride Months throughout the year. The months celebrate various racial, ethnic and other historically marginalized groups.
During discussion, Board Vice President Judy Manouchehri and Board Member Sigalie Sabag voiced their opposition to the resolution.
“I’m just concerned that by acknowledging some [groups] and not others, which is what this does, that we’re creating another issue of disparity, because European American Heritage Months are not on here, other Heritage Months that could potentially be created are not on here,” said Manouchehri, adding that the “ship has possibly sailed on a resolution like this.”
Sabag added that the board should be “concentrat[ing] on the education.”
“I think this is very polarizing, and I think the way it’s written is not going to be positive,” she said.
The board voted 3-2 to pass the resolution, with Manouchehri and Sabag voting no.
Additionally, the board heard and made comments on the district’s 2025-26 strategic plan.
The plan, presented by Cherniss and Assistant Superintendent of Education Services Dustin Seemann, included six overarching goals: improving student achievement, improving the quality of instruction, increasing student engagement in extracurricular activities, facilities completion, ensuring fiscal responsibility and a continued emphasis on safety and security.
Regarding student achievement, quality of instruction and student engagement in extracurriculars, the district plans to use measures such as tutoring, a new math curriculum, a district-wide writing workshop program and academic interventions when necessary to achieve its goals.
Board members brought up various concerns regarding these goals. Stern noted that Horace Mann Elementary’s test scores were below those of El Rodeo Elementary School.
“I really would love to know what can be done to support Horace Mann perhaps more comprehensively, given that difference,” she said.
Board President Rachelle Marcus expressed a desire for students to do more reading on their own time.
“In English, in the middle school and the elementary school … getting kids to read books just to read books, to improve their skills of understanding in reading—I don’t think I see enough of that,” she said. “They are required to read the book in class, they read the book in class. What about the reading outside of class, and the strength and the rigor that that will provide? And book reports? … I really feel that’s something we are missing.”
The scheduled vote on the strategic plan was tabled to give administrators time to incorporate board comments and concerns.
