Racially Motivated Incident Between LBHS Students Draws Community Attention, District Says

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — A reported racially motivated incident that occurred between Laguna Beach High School students over the holidays is being investigated by Laguna Beach Police, according to Sgt. Tim Kleiser and the Laguna Beach Unified School District.

Five persons of interest in an incident that occurred after Christmas were interviewed by a juvenile investigator at Laguna Beach High School on Monday, according to Kleiser.

"The matter is still under investigation as a criminal violation and has yet to be presented to the district attorney who would be responsible for filing specific charges," Kleiser said.

On Friday, the Laguna Beach Unified School District released an announcement regarding racially motivated incidents that occurred over the winter break. The superintendent of Laguna Beach Unified School District is in contact with police as the incident continues to be investigated.

The Laguna Beach Indy on Thursday reported that parents Cathleen Falsani and Maurice Possley reported the attack on their adopted 17-year-old Malawian son. The incident included five students of Laguna Beach High School allegedly appearing on their property, "throwing watermelon and yelling racially charged epithets," the Indy reported.

"There was no doubt in my mind what the intent was," Possley told the Indy.

“To hide this, to slink away, to allow us or our son to be intimidated, is wrong,” Falsani told the Indy. “To pretend it’s not happening here is delusional and lets it grow and fester.”

Letter from Laguna Beach Unified School District:

You may have heard about an incident that occurred over the winter break regarding some LBHS students’ involvement in an alleged racially-motivated act against another student. LBHS administration was notified by police regarding the incident, and has continued to maintain regular contact with police officials as they continue to investigate the incident.

Please be assured that we are addressing this matter with the individuals involved to the fullest extent possible within the limits of our jurisdiction. While it is natural to want to know the consequences of the incident, we cannot disclose further details about any proposed or implemented disciplinary action that has or may occur due to privacy laws.

As a school district, we continue to work on teaching cultural proficiency, including self-awareness of how each student’s ethnicity, culture and life experiences may impact others. While this specific act does not represent the community as a whole, it allows us to use this incident as a teachable moment moving forward. We realize this is an ongoing process that needs to be continually woven into our school and community culture.

It is everyone’s responsibility to maintain a welcoming and inclusive community of which we can all be proud. Working with our community partners, we will sustain a climate that values diversity and fosters inclusion to equip our students with the values they need to be global citizens. While this work is not always comfortable nor easy, it reminds us that we individually contribute to the fabric of our community.

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