No jumping. No shouting. Beverly Hills High issues new rules after students celebrate Trump win

Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times on Nov 8, 2024

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LOS ANGELES — Beverly Hills High School has limited students’ ability to congregate in the wake of “spirited demonstrations” by pro-Trump pupils following Tuesday’s elections.

The high school’s principal, Drew Stewart, sent a message to families announcing that the school would not restrict students’ individual exercise of their free speech rights, but would limit their ability to congregate in large groups so that all students would feel safe on campus. The message came after a TikTok video went viral showing many students in a Beverly Hills High School courtyard rowdily celebrating Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election.

The video shows dozens of students — mostly boys — dancing, cheering and crowding against each other. At one point, a school security guard holds up a Trump banner to raucous applause.

“We have had ongoing exercises of student political speech over the past 2 days. Starting tomorrow, students will continue to be able to exercise this right individually, but will be restricted in their right to assemble,” said Stewart in the email. “These assemblies have ended up creating a disruption to normal school activities and has also left many students feeling unsafe and unwelcome.”

Stewart then told students they could no longer “congregate, circle up, shout, jump, etc.,” according to the email.

Beverly Hills is a red island in the middle of predominately blue Los Angeles County, a community where voters largely supported former President Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris. In one Beverly Hills precinct, Trump won 63% of the vote compared to Harris’ 33%, according to voting data.

Divisions during the 2024 election season were particularly sharp, with Trump issuing harsh invective against Democrats, immigrants, the press and numerous other groups while Harris’ camp blasted Trump’s character and spoke apocalyptically about the threat he posed to democracy. Trump defeated the vice president handily Tuesday.

Beverly Hills Unified School District Superintendent Michael Bregy said the decision was made to foster a safe, supportive environment for students.

“We value students’ freedom of expression and encourage respectful civic engagement,” he said.

Bregy said staff consistently monitored the “spirited demonstrations” this week and “acted swiftly to de-escalate when expressions crossed into disruption.”

A source in the district, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said that students were bringing flags on poles, which is against education code. Administrators were present with the group of revelers, trying to make sure no one was injured.

“We have to stand within the group and until they start, you know, physically compressing on one another with their jumping, then that becomes dangerous,” the source said. “Then we’re crossing into the area where it’s way beyond education code.”