Coachella Valley High School’s principal directed U.S. Border Patrol recruiters to leave a career fair, prompting the Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) to issue a formal apology. The district labeled the incident a misunderstanding and reaffirmed its support for the agency’s participation in future events.
On Wednesday, during the school’s annual career fair, Border Patrol agents were asked to leave by the principal without explanation. This action drew criticism from Border Patrol officials, who questioned the school’s motives.
US Border Patrol El Centro took to Facebook and shared their frustration.
The post stated:
“For three straight years the U.S. Border Patrol has been invited and attended Coachella Valley High School’s College and Career Fair. This offers students a chance to explore a career in federal law enforcement. This year? REMOVED!
“The school’s principal told our recruiter to leave, even though the school knew we were coming and had even set up a spot for us. The principal refused to provide a explanation for the dis-invitation.
“A taxpayer funded school in the United States refusing to allow interested students to explore career information from a federal law enforcement agency? It appears the Coachella Valley High School principal did just this. Young adults depend on prudent and thoughtful leadership promoting an environment of learning and creativity, not agenda driven edicts. Drop your thoughts on this in the comments.”
In response, CVUSD apologized to Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, emphasizing that the agency is “wholeheartedly welcome” at future career fairs.
The statement read: “We want to make it very clear that we do not condone this behavior, and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken with the involved staff members to ensure this does not happen again. Our students have greatly appreciated the valuable interactions and insights they have gained from learning about careers in Law Enforcement and the Border Patrol. We recognize the importance of providing our students with real-world career options and opportunities.”
The district stated that disciplinary action had been taken against the staff involved and measures implemented to prevent similar incidents.
