PROTESTERS at Tuesday’s Garden Grove school board meeting.

By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune

Politics took center stage at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education as dozens of people showed up to criticize or defend Board Member Lan Quoc Nguyen.

At issue was not any action he took as a school board member, but for comments he allegedly made that were “offensive” about the former Army of the Republic of Vietnam.

Outside the district office, a group of about two dozen protesters rallied. Carrying U.S. and Republic of (South) Vietnam flags, they chanted “Down! Down! Down! with Lan!”

Six speakers – three attacking Nguyen and three supporting him – addressed the board.

One of his critics accused him of “disgracing the South Vietnamese army” with comments that were “very horrific” for the “younger generation to hear.”

None of the protesters quoted specific comments to support their attacks.

One of his supporters wanted to “thank Lan Nguyen for his dedicated support of the Garden Grove Unified School District” and argued that the rally had more to do with politics than education.

Nguyen is running for re-election to the board for Trustee Area 2. Other candidates are Mark Anthony Paredes and Nicole Jaimes.

Also on Tuesday night, the board approved a lighting project for athletic facilities at Los Amigos High School, as well as an agreement with the Westminster Police Department to supply a school resource police officer to serve La Quinta High School and McGarvin Intermediate School, which are located within the boundaries of the GGUSD.

The next meeting of the board is Tuesday, Nov. 1.