As the Nov. 5 General Election nears, Beverly Hills residents are faced with four choices for a three-seat race for the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education. Incumbent candidate and current board president Dr. Amanda Stern is joined by attorney Dela Peykar Ronen, construction contractor Sigalie Sabag and firearms store owner Russell Stuart in the Nov. 5 race.

One seat is being opened by Stern, whose term expires in December. Another seat was vacated by Mary Wells – who left the board after being elected to the Beverly Hills City Council earlier this year – while one is being opened by Noah Margo, who is not seeking reelection.

Stern is a school psychologist and BHUSD parent seeking reelection after her first term. Stern has been endorsed by the Beverly Hills Education Association teachers’ union, the L.A. County Democratic Party, the West Hollywood-Beverly Hills Democratic Club, former Beverly Hills Mayor Bob Wunderlich, Next Night Chair Tiffany Davis and former Human Relations Commission Chair Noelle Freeman.

Peykar Ronen is an estate planning attorney, BHUSD parent and an alumna of Hawthorne Elementary and Beverly Hills High School. Peykar Ronen has also been endorsed by the BHEA, Davis, former Beverly Hills Mayor Julian Gold, former mayor Barry Brucker and the Israeli-American Civic Action Network.

Sabag owns United Group Construction and is a BHUSD parent who has lived in Beverly Hills for 15 years. Sabag stated that she did not seek official endorsements, but has been endorsed by ICAN and the West Los Angeles Republican Assembly. Sabag declined to do an endorsement interview with the BHEA.

Stuart is a former airman in the California State Guard, security professional, owner of firearms store Beverly Hills Guns and a BHUSD parent who ran for Beverly Hills City Council earlier this year. Stuart finished fifth in a 10-person race, receiving 1,754 votes, or 11.67% of the total. Stuart also stated that he did not seek endorsements, but has been endorsed by ICAN, the L.A. County Republican Party, the Los Angeles Hispanic Republican Club, the Beverly Hills Conservative Club and the West Los Angeles Republican Assembly. Stuart also declined to do an endorsement interview with the BHEA.

The Beverly Press interviewed all four candidates on the issues facing the future of the BHUSD, as well as school districts across California and the U.S. this election season.

Cell phone use

With Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signing Assembly Bill 3216, the Phone Free School Act, each school district in California will be required to develop a policy “limiting or prohibiting the use of smartphones” by July 1, 2026. Excessive smartphone use by adolescents has been linked to increased mental health issues, but opponents say cell phone bans are not easily enforced and could lead to safety issues in the event of an emergency.

In BHUSD, smart devices are currently restricted to different levels based on age. For grades TK-8, devices must be “off and out of sight while on campus.” For grades 9-12, cell phone use is permitted only during non-instructional time and “off and out of sight,” when in class. Students are allowed to access their device in the event of an emergency, when granted permission by teachers and during other special circumstances.

“We were ahead of the general movement to identify the harms and misuse of cell phones, especially among high school students,” Stern said. “I have yet to determine that a full ban for high school students during their regular school day will outweigh the potential difficulties that we would have by not availing ourselves of some of the modern technological advances that cell phones offer all of our learners.”

“I definitely support [Assembly Bill 3216],” Peykar Ronen said. “I am someone who really advocates for ‘wait ‘til eighth,’ which means waiting until at least eighth grade before introducing our children to smartphones. I will say, I am still not 100% sure on whether cell phones should not be on campus period. I know there are some opportunities to have these pouches where you put your [phone] in there, and the kids can’t get it until the end of school. I see flaws with that in the case of emergency. I don’t want kids to not have their phones period, but I do think there has to be a limitation on the phones.”

“I believe it should be limited to the point where students shouldn’t be using it in the classroom but I don’t believe it should be banned, because it’s a matter of safety,” Sabag said. “The parents who would want their children to have a phone just in case for safety measures – you always want to be in touch with your child … It also depends on the age, there’s a lot of issues there at hand.”

“I definitely do not think cell phones should be banned at all,” Stuart said. “Obviously, technology as a whole is a big concern with parents and teachers and students. There is great evidence out there to suggest that – especially with the younger grades – that technology can hinder growth, can create psychological problems, emotional problems, and I think that is something that needs to be looked at. But in the end, especially as a safety expert, when you don’t have your phone in this society, I believe that it is a security risk. To have access to the outside world – whether that’s to law enforcement, to your parents – to be able to have a communication, some kind of device with you to communicate in that form is crucial.”

Book bans

According to nonprofit group PEN America, more than 10,000 books were banned in U.S. public schools in the 2023-24 academic year, a nearly 300% increase from the previous year. In September 2023, Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1078, which penalizes school boards that prohibit books based solely on the inclusion of culture or history of minority groups, including Black, Latino, Asian, Native American or LGBTQ communities. However, some parents have raised concerns over books available in school libraries that contain sexual or explicit content.

“Censorship and limiting expression is a complex matter and it is one of the freedoms that we value as a democracy,” Stern said. “However, I am interested in preserving the right for families, parents and children’s extended family to have the right and have the predominating influence on their children about certain sensitive topics, including about human development, sexuality and other sensitive subjects. Those topics are best dealt with directly by families and guardians.”

“Our school district has very different types of issues that come across for us than other schools – whether they’re close or far, even with L.A. Unified,” Peykar Ronen said. “I think that is something to keep in mind when it comes to what we are also including in our curriculum. For example, let’s say some of the antisemitism that is happening in local schools around us – obviously these other schools don’t have a population that’s made up of more than 50% Jewish students. We do. So our curriculum would be something that we would want to reflect that. We would want our students to be learning those subjects. It would be like a safe haven for students to feel good. The same happens with many different topics, because our student body is comprised of a different type of group.”

“The library and books is the No. 1 important essence of the classroom and of the library,” Sabag said. “We want our kids to read, and we want them to read a lot … Banning books is very strange. What kind of books are being banned? Are these new books, are these old books, are these documentary books, are they fiction? I don’t know what kind of books are being banned, honestly.”

“I support books that nurture kids and that foster their minds and that have an educational value,” Stuart said. “Whether I’m going to ban a book or not – if it’s topics that are adult, that cross the line into pornography, that cross the line into topics that have no educational value … to me, if you have a book that gets into graphical sexual content, then why would anyone support that book being in a kids’ library? … ‘Book banning’ has become this national hot topic … on the conservative side of things, and then you kind of lump it into, ‘Oh, you’re a book banner.’ I’m like no, I’m a topic banner. It has nothing to do with the book, it has to do with the topic.”

Critical race theory

Teaching about the history of slavery and racism has long been a difficult but necessary subject in U.S. history. In recent years, critical race theory, an academic field that examines systemic and institutional racism, has divided parents in school districts across the U.S. In February, the Temecula Valley Unified School District banned critical race theory from being taught in classrooms. Although a group of parents and teachers sued the school board for the decision, a Riverside County Superior Court Judge allowed the ban to continue.

“In order to discuss race, there must be guardrails that protect against antisemitism and other types of racism and bias,” Stern said. “We can’t understand the present and the future if we don’t understand the past. Sometimes it is necessary to have uncomfortable conversations about historic events.”

“There’s a lot of current news about critical race theory and it’s one of those areas where there’s still legislation being written on it, and how the curriculum should be addressed,” Peykar Ronen said. “I can’t tell you I have enough information to know how I would feel about that, but it is something where if the state requires us to teach something, of course we need to teach it. We need to make sure that our curriculum adheres to the state, but it is tailored to our community and what makes our parents comfortable.”

“It depends on what is in the books. I know that BHUSD is taking a deep dive into [critical race theory],” Sabag said. “Depending on the subject, yes I do want the students to learn diversity. I want to make sure that it is true facts, everything that is through history and what the students need to know … If it’s a buzzword, I can’t go either way. I’m not going to vote on something that I don’t know anything about. I’m going to take a deep dive into it, I’m going to study it. I’m going to see exactly what’s in the books before I pass any kind of vote that is going to be beneficial to the students or not.”

Stuart said he does not think critical race theory should be taught in BHUSD schools.

“I don’t agree with it,” Stuart said. “I’m just going to leave it at that.”

LGBTQ and gender expression

Another issue facing many school districts across the country is the ongoing debate surrounding what teachers are allowed to express in classrooms. In 2022, Florida passed a so-called “don’t say gay” bill which prohibited classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity. In 2023, two California school boards – Alameda County and Temecula – voted to ban the display of any non-government or military flags, including LGBTQ pride flags.

Stern said that teachers should be allowed to express themselves “as long as their expression is not contributing to hate speech or influence of ideas, topics and opinions that aren’t better and more appropriately addressed by parents and guardians. Any expression or statement that causes disruption or hatred or bullying or any type of indoctrination must not be permitted.”

Stern added that pride flags, in addition to “other flags that are cultural representation in modern society,” should be allowed in classrooms.

“I have not given this much thought, honestly,” Peykar Ronen said. “I don’t have an opinion on that. I do think that we all have some level of expression, but with that I would prefer that politics not make its way into our classrooms unless it’s with intent and it’s with transparency to the parents.”

“I don’t think teachers should push their beliefs on the students,” Sabag said. “Anybody can have their own belief of what they want. Anybody can personally do or feel whatever they want, but when they’re teaching, they need to teach facts, as books, as comprehension, but not their own beliefs to push on the students.”

“I don’t believe that any political topics have any place in the classroom,” Stuart said. “Obviously, that’s a very big topic. There’s an LGBT flag that’s hanging at the district office right now … I also know that there’s a teacher that has a ‘Black Lives Matter’ flag in their classroom. In my opinion, this is a slippery slope … The whole purpose of that classroom is to educate and to teach these children the topic of what that classroom is. I don’t remember in the curriculum that there was a ‘free Palestine’ class. I don’t remember in the curriculum that there is a ‘Black Lives Matter’ class. I don’t remember in the curriculum that there is an LGBTQ+ class … I want to clarify, I have no problem with LGBT people, I have no problem with ‘Black Lives Matter’ people, I have no problem with anyone … I am a conservative centrist.”

School shootings

A top concern for many parents across the U.S. is school safety when it comes to gun violence and school shootings. In recent years, gun violence has become a leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1-19. Two recent break-ins in BHUSD have raised alarms for parents in terms of security measures.

“Guns will never completely vanish,” Stern said. “Just as cigarettes and other items that cause harm to our youth will also never completely go away, it is therefore critical that we have adequate perimeter and barrier security and also that adults are fully aware of the dangers of having unsecured firearms in the home.”

“We need to make sure that there are no breaches to our security,” Peykar Ronen said. “We can’t have these blind spots where you hear about someone jumping over the fence and being able to come in undetected.”

“[The schools] should be completely safe and secure,” Sabag said. “It is a problem with guns, if any child can get a hold of a gun. Something needs to be done to make sure we’re on the alert with that. And that’s a hard one … On the other hand, we need to make sure who’s coming into the school is safe.”

“We have a security problem,” Stuart said. “We’ve never had the property security assessment done on our schools to harden them … The increase of crime, school shootings, homelessness, all these other factors, including the subway trains that are coming, the Olympics, the World Cup and so many other things that are pushing more people coming into our great city, security has to be the No. 1 thing.”

Stuart added that he would ensure a new security assessment is performed immediately. He also said that while he doesn’t think it would be possible now, he would be open to arming teachers “in the right setting, with the right people, with the right training and the right understanding.”

“I’m not saying blank slate, every teacher carries a gun, far from it,” Stuart said. “But is there a time and a place for the possibility of it? Absolutely.”