Teachers staged a mass walkout during a California school board meeting as Moms for Liberty figure and board candidate Beth Bourne began another speech attacking transgender-inclusive policies and LGBTQ+ material in schools.
The confrontation unfolded during the Davis Joint Unified School District Board of Education meeting on Thursday, 17 September.
As Bourne approached the lectern for public comment, a large number of teachers stood and left the room.
Bourne immediately protested, demanding that her speaking time be restored and accusing the departing educators of disrupting her remarks.
“I want my time back!” she shouted.
What followed quickly became one of the meeting’s most chaotic moments.
Bourne Calls Teachers ‘Cowards’ And ‘Idiots’
Board vice-president Hiram Jackson repeatedly instructed Bourne to address the board and attempted to keep the meeting moving.
Bourne instead turned towards the departing teachers.
“You are a bunch of cowards,” she said.
“You are a bunch of weak, stupid, brainwashed liberals. You’re a bunch of fucking idiots. You are hurting these children.”
An audience member also shouted an obscenity during the exchange, adding to the disruption.
Bourne continued speaking after Jackson attempted to restore order, criticising books and district policies involving transgender students, pronouns and school facilities.
She argued that such policies harm gay and lesbian children — a claim disputed by LGBTQ+ advocates and supporters of the district’s inclusion policies.
When her allotted time ended, Bourne complained that the teachers’ walkout had interrupted her comment.
The board then took a recess.
Bourne Is Running For The School Board
The confrontation carries added significance because Bourne is not simply a regular public commenter.
She is running for a seat on the very board she was addressing.
Bourne is a qualified candidate for Trustee Area 4 in the Davis Joint Unified School District election on 3 November, challenging incumbent board member Elizabeth Moon.
She is also a local Moms for Liberty leader and has become a prominent critic of policies supporting transgender students.
Her campaign has emphasised parental involvement in decisions around gender identity and opposition to some LGBTQ+-inclusive school policies and materials.
Teachers’ decision to leave as she began speaking offered a highly visible indication of the level of tension surrounding her candidacy.
Not Her First Confrontation With The Board
Bourne has repeatedly attracted attention at Davis school board meetings.
In September 2025, she removed her outer clothing during public comment while protesting policies allowing transgender students to use school bathrooms and changing facilities consistent with their gender identity.
The meeting was recessed during that incident.
She has also clashed with district staff and community members over LGBTQ+ books, transgender students and what she describes as parental-rights concerns.
Those disputes intensified significantly in 2023.
What Happened With The 2023 Restraining Order
The Davis school district obtained a temporary restraining order against Bourne in October 2023 after officials raised concerns about social-media activity involving district employees.
Among the posts cited in local reporting was one in which Bourne said she intended to publish the names of district counsellors and teachers.
The order came during a particularly tense period in Davis, when local schools and libraries were receiving repeated bomb threats following controversy over an event discussing transgender athletes.
However, police said at the time there was no evidence linking Bourne or local Moms for Liberty members to those threats.
The district ultimately decided not to pursue a permanent restraining order.
That distinction matters: Bourne’s social-media conduct prompted separate safety concerns, but she was never established as responsible for the bomb threats.
Trans-Inclusive Policies Remain At The Centre
At the September meeting, Bourne again focused heavily on transgender students.
She criticised books featuring trans characters and argued against policies recognising transgender identities within schools.
Supporters of those policies say they are intended to ensure trans and gender-diverse students can attend school safely and participate without discrimination.
Opponents, including Bourne, argue parents should have greater control over gender-related decisions and information involving their children.
That disagreement has increasingly become part of school-board elections across the United States.
In Davis, it is now playing out not just from the public-comment microphone but directly on the ballot.
A Walkout Sends Its Own Message
The teachers who left the room did not need the microphone to make their position visible.
Their walkout came before Bourne had finished introducing herself and turned what might otherwise have been another contentious public comment into a highly symbolic confrontation between a school-board candidate and members of the district workforce.
Bourne characterised their departure as cowardly and disruptive.
The teachers themselves simply kept walking.
With the November election approaching, Davis voters will ultimately decide whether Bourne moves from addressing the school board to sitting on it.
