GUHSD agenda tonight includes restricting protests outside school board meetings, allowing prayers and other controversial measures

By Miriam Raftery

Image: On Facebook, a group seeking to recall GUHSD trustees posted a flyer calling tonight’s agenda items “frightful”, stating, “Here’s the tricks and not a treat in sight.”

October 9, 2025 (El Cajon, CA) – At its 6 p.m. meeting tonight, the Grossmont Union High School District board of trustees will consider adopting a policy to restrict by designating “no activity zones” outside of its meetings on public property where activities such as “picketing, leafletting, protest or other expressive activity” would be prohibited. The issue raises serious free speech and First Amendment rights issues.

The proposal would allow the Board or the Superintendent to establish the no activity zones, ostensibly to create a safe path of entry and exit, identified by markers such as cones or signs. However, it sets no size limit, potentially allowing the board to limit or ban free speech activities altogether outside buildings such as the Grossmont High School gymnasium where tonight’s meeting is being held and where for months, hundreds of teachers, students and parents have gathered outside to hold rallies, protests, picketing, signature gathering and other expressions of opposition to board policies such as mass firing of teachers and librarians.

“ This Board policy is unnecessary as it is already unlawful for protesters to block entry or exit routes outside a public meeting,” Madeleine McCurry Schmidt, a frequent critic testifying against the board at meetings, told ECM via email. “ At no point this year have protestors blocked entryways or created safety hazards outside Governing Board meetings. At no point have law enforcement officials or the Board's private security contractors been called on to remove protestors blocking entry ways. Nor have members of the media present outside meetings documented any such safety hazards or threats.”

ECM has had a reporter present at every recent meeting; our reporter has not observed any actions by protesters to obstruct or threaten anyone entering or leaving the premises.

The effort to restrict public protests outside a public meeting is eerily reminiscent of a 2015 attempt by San Diego County Supervisors to ban protests in front of the County Administration Building, instead relegating them to a “free speech zone” out of sight of the main entrance.  After ECM asked the American Civil Liberties Union to advise on the constitutionality of the proposal, the ACLU sent the County Counsel a letter stating that the proposed measure would violate the First Amendment, as ECM reported.  Fearing potential litigation, County Supervisors temporarily and ultimately permanently tabled that measure.

The measure as drafted also includes the vague term "other expressive activity." Could that be used to ban speeches by union leaders, or journalists seeking to ask questions, or citizens videotaping protest rallies?

The restriction on protests is item 3 on tonight’s agenda.

Other controversial items including a proposal to hire a single library director to be in charge of every library on all 18 district campuses, after the board majority voted earlier this year to fire all of the district’s libraries. In addition, the board will hear proposals to allow parents to opt-out of any teaching a parent considers contrary to their religious belief, and another proposal to allow prayers if not done in a coercive manner, such as football coach leading players in prayer. Those proposals aim to align with recent Supreme Court decisions.

Board President Gary Woods told KPBS, “IT is my goal to enhance the recognition of religious beliefs and customs of our community as well as clarity the religious rights of students and staff based on recent Supreme Court decisions.”

But Director Chris Fite believes the proposal goes beyond what’s required to comply with court rules.  “I think expression of religion, for me, in the classroom just opens a can or worms,” Fite said, K{PBS reports.

The board also aims to hear a resolution calling for nonviolent civil discourse that specifically mentions the murder  of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, while failing to mention the assassination of Democratic Congresswoman Melissa Hortman or attacks on other non-conservative leaders.