At a meeting Tuesday night, the San Diego Unified Board of Education unanimously voted to call for District B Trustee Kevin Beiser’s immediate resignation in light of allegations of the sexual harassment and assault against him.
In introducing the non-binding resolution, board vice president John Lee Evans said trustees “must adhere to a high standard of moral, ethical and legal conduct.”
“We also have a board code of conduct, which calls for and protecting the integrity and image of this educational institution,” he said. “This board takes very seriously any abuse of power, including sexual harassment and assault.”
Evans noted that the board does not have the legal authority to remove Beiser, who was elected to the seat.
Before the meeting, a group of parents led by the chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County, Tony Krvaric, held a demonstration calling for Beiser’s resignation.
“He’s lost the confidence of the fellow board members and the party and the public,” Krvaric said during the public comment portion of the meeting. “He would not pass a background check today to accompany kids on a field trip. He would never be hired as a teacher. He needs to do the honorable thing and … resign.”
Ilka Weston, whose 12-year-old son attends school in the district, said she was mad and disappointed that Beiser took her trust and her confidence.
“One of the most difficult phone calls I had to make … is to call my 12-year-old son and tell him he could no longer wear Kevin Beiser shirts and that Kevin made mistakes and he had to have severe consequences for,” she said. “The truth is he can no longer serve on this board.”
A lawsuit filed in March alleges Beiser, over a five-year period, sexually assaulted and harassed the plaintiff while he was working for him.
Beiser, who was not at the meeting Tuesday, denied all allegations.
