Culver City, California: Board of Education censors virtual attendees for having Zoom backgrounds with critical messaging

In May 2024, the Culver City Unified School District Board of Education began booting or disabling video capabilities of virtual attendees who had Zoom backgrounds calling for the resignation of two board members. The board also allocated limited public comment time based on the topics speakers intended to address, which had the effect of discriminating against speakers critical of the board president.

On December 17, FIRE wrote the Board, explaining that the First Amendment protects the right to criticize elected officials in a non-disruptive manner at public meetings, including the use of virtual backgrounds calling for those officials’ resignation. FIRE called on the board to cease its censorship and to amend its bylaws to prevent viewpoint discrimination.