Laguna Beach board hears heated debate over moving high‑school commencement to the Irvine Bowl

Dozens of parents, students and alumni filled the district meeting to press the board to reconsider where Laguna Beach High School holds commencement ceremonies, with many calling for a return to the historic Irvine Bowl and others urging a continuation of ceremonies on Geyer Field at the high school.

The discussion centered on competing priorities: alumni and community members said the Irvine Bowl produces a unique, multigenerational experience, while school leaders and some families emphasized access, seating, and student‑centered logistics at the high‑school field.

"The Bowl was definitely a lot more of a kind of spiritual, almost ... event," said Cruz Siebel, a student speaker who said family members found the Irvine Bowl setting more dramatic and memorable. Other public commenters cited a petition and social‑media polling they said support moving commencement back to the Bowl.

Principals and the superintendent pushed back that the decision has been handled at the site level. "Graduation planning, including venue selection, is a site level responsibility that is carried out under delegated administrative authority," Principal Joe Vidal told the board, while also describing a shared planning model that has supported staging and livestreaming at Geyer Field since 2021.

School leaders said student preferences were split and that site staff considered practical factors such as staging time, AV production and transportation. The presentation estimated staging and install take about three days, with 1½ days to set up and a full run‑through the day before the ceremony; moving to an off‑campus venue adds bus transportation and potentially more AV and furniture rental costs.

Trustees asked for clarity about how student and community surveys were conducted and whether they produced a fair sample. Principal Allman said roughly half of the senior students responded to the survey presented and that the results alone did not constitute a final decision. "There has been no decision made about" the venue, Allman told the board.

Board members also disagreed about whether the venue decision is strictly administrative. Superintendent Dr. Glass said board policy has historically delegated venue selection to site administrators but reminded the board it may exercise its authority if members choose to do so. "The question before you is not if you have the authority — you do — it is whether you should exercise it," he said.

Because the item was agendized as discussion only under the Brown Act, trustees could not vote that night. Several trustees said they would like more time to consider logistics and community input and asked staff to return the matter to a noticed meeting for a decision by early March; principals said early March is workable for contract and staging deadlines.

What happens next: The board left open the option to agendize the matter for action at a future meeting (the board discussed Feb. 26 as a likely date). If members decide not to intervene, the superintendent said the site administrators will finalize arrangements and proceed with planning.

Votes at a glance: There was no formal board vote on the graduation venue during this meeting; the board did vote on other items that night, including approvals of bargaining proposals and the comprehensive district safety plan.

The board is expected to revisit the graduation venue in the coming weeks or leave the choice with site leadership, depending on whether trustees elect to take formal action on the subject.