The Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) discussed proposed changes to the district’s guest and assembly policy at the April 14 meeting in the wake of a controversial student speaker.
The discussions follow community outrage from a guest speaker appearance by influencer Ben Azoulay at the Beverly Hills High School (BHHS) Jewish club on Feb. 17. In 2008, Azoulay, then 18, faced allegations of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victim in 2011 and public records reviewed by the Courier, Azoulay “admitted his guilt in open court and was convicted on the charge of violating Penal Code Section 288a(b)(1), oral copulation with a minor.”
Azoulay has been highly controversial due to his posts that degrade women, encourage young people to do poorly in school and, in at least one post, appear to make light of the allegations leveled against him.
According to a district spokesperson, the visit was coordinated by a student-run club and approved at the BHHS site level, a protocol in accordance with the California Education Code. Superintendent Alex Cherniss later decried Azoulay’s talk, calling his views “abhorrent,” and said he would not have been allowed to appear if the district or principal knew of the talk ahead of time.
Board Member Amanda Stern apologized to the community for Azoulay’s appearance on April 14.
“I personally offer apologies to anyone in the community who was triggered by the visit from Ben Azoulay,” she said. “To students, parents and staff who have been victims of assault, I understand how upsetting this was … We cannot underestimate how damaging it is when someone comes to our campus and says, ‘I can’t lie. I was an F student.’ And then you have a student who happened to film it with everyone clapping.”
Board President Judy Manouchehri also apologized for Azoulay’s appearance.
“I really do want to acknowledge that we had a speaker that came through one of our student clubs not too long ago, and it was triggering and disappointing for a lot of our community members and I want to acknowledge that,” she said.
Assistant Superintendent Dustin Seemann proposed changes to district Policy 6145.8, the district’s visitor and assembly policy, that would require a vetting process and a final approval for each guest by the respective school’s principal, and prohibit guests from distributing any food that does not comply with board policy.
“The Superintendent or designee shall develop a comprehensive vetting process for all non-staff speakers/presenters, which must include a background check for criminal convictions, restraining orders, and any public record of conduct inconsistent with district values or missions. It is scheduled at minimum 15 school days in advance to allow for adjustment of academic schedule and provide families with information on assembly,” the proposed amendment read.
Seemann clarified that club events fall under the definition of an assembly.
“What we’re trying to say as a group is, at minimum, we are getting names submitted to us 15 days in advance. Within that, we are ensuring that all of this has been followed through. Someone isn’t just invited off the street. They have gone through Raptor [Technologies school safety software],” he added.
Manouchehri said it was important to provide school principals with an objective standard that aligns with federal standards, which regulate limitations that school boards can impose on student organizations.
“I looked at some of the policy and I’m worried that the subjectiveness could get us into trouble with students’ rights,” she said. “This would inhibit the clubs. Dr. Seemann is categorizing a club as a special event. I just want to put this out here for everybody, this is not my opinion, but it appears to be federal law. Let’s look into it as a group so we can make sure we’re not overreaching.”
Board Member Rachelle Marcus argued that guest speakers should be scheduled outside of normal school hours to minimize instructional disruption, while Stern added it is important to enforce a policy that students don’t record guest speakers, as fallout from Azoulay’s appearance affected the district’s reputation.
Stern also claimed that district administrators should be able to make judgment calls about whether speakers are fit to speak to students.
“It took 20 seconds if you Google the person’s name to see absolutely abhorrent media,” Stern said. “This particular guy was legally okay to be on the campus, but that doesn’t matter because he wasn’t a good fit.”
Board Member Russell Stuart challenged the phrase “public record” in the proposed amendment, arguing that a guest’s social media posts should not be considered when deciding if they are fit to appear on campus and criticized Stern’s proposed policy changes.
“Dr. Stern, according to you, I’m not a good fit either, which you made a public statement that I should never have been allowed on campus, I should never have been allowed to speak to kids and that I was a dangerous person,” he said. “According to [the amended policy], I would be blocked from coming on campus. We cannot include opinion.”
Stern previously criticized Stuart for speaking about mental health at a BHHS boys’ mental health club, claiming he was not qualified, and also criticized his social media posts, including one that read, “Cheers to my haters! Be patient. So much more is coming.”
The last amendment would mandate all cellphones and recording devices to be powered off during assemblies and students and guests would be prohibited from recording or taking photographs.
The board will review an official proposal of an amended guest and assembly policy at a later date.
