I attended the meeting last night and was underwhelmed by the response to the situation from the administration. There are many, including some students, who don’t want to do anything to curtail the freedoms of the students to come and go, making it impossible to control who is on campus at any given time. They also don’t want the students to have to wear photo IDs, or go through metal detectors, or be subject to random searches, or have to wear uniforms to identify themselves as BHS students. All of this, while complaining that students don’t feel safe, and that’s why they bring guns and knives to school. In addition, there is a coterie of unseemly characters that linger outside the school during school hours, creating a threatening atmosphere that students feel they must protect themselves from when arriving or leaving the school grounds. All I could think was: no one is doing their jobs because they are afraid of being politically incorrect. 1. What are these characters doing outside the school grounds? I can think of only one reason: to sell drugs. Drugs go together with money, and then you have a real problem. Then comes the violence, the threats, the intimidation the beat downs, the fights, all of it. We in Berkeley like to think pot is okay, no big deal. But really, it is not okay for students to be smoking pot. Studies have linked pot use in young males to an increased incidence of schizophrenia in 20-25 year old men. Pot use creates a culture of “no big deal” and “I’ll deal with it later” attitudes among teens. And then there’s the culture of drugs/money/crime that goes along with it.

I feel the start to a solution should be multi-faceted. 1. Continue the small group discussions with students. Increase dialogue between authorities and students to understand why students are fearful at school. It is reported that it’s a small number that are perpetrating these crimes. Get them out of the school. Keep them out. 2. Berkeley police should do more to keep the creeps from bordering the perimeter of the school. The administration should support this. Stops and searches should be made of those who linger in front of the school for more than some prescribed time period and are not students. Arrests should be made if they are carrying weapons or drugs. I’m sure some of these will be parolees. Students should be required to wear photo ID badges while on campus. Anyone who doesn’t will be suspended. Period. Close circuit cameras should be installed in stairwells not well traveled, or in the distant ends of campus. Safety staff should wear identifying badges or clothing. They should receive more training. If they are not up to the job at hand, fire them and get real safety personnel.

Freedom has to go hand in hand with safety. These are not adults. Who says their freedoms should be the first concern when we are facing conditions such as these at the school. How can law enforcement do their jobs if they can’t limit the situation and control access to the campus?

What are some good options for private schools in the area?

I don’t think I want my kids subjected to this kind of crap, and if BHS is anything like the rest of the City of Berkeley all we’re going to get out of this is a lot of talking and no action.

Does anyone know if BHS is a designated “Drug Free Zone” like many of the elementary schools?

Thank you for your reporting on this, Berkeleyside, and thanks also to the parents who attended this meeting and posted about their experience. The most disturbing piece of this is that BUSD and BHS seem to be putting their own spin on the handgun incidents, and since we parents and community members get all of our information from the BHS/BUSD filter, we are not getting the whole story. The bigger story, as told by DA Matthew Golde, is much more alarming. Why was law enforcement not included as part of this presentation? It sounds like the DA was left to participate as part of the audience.

I also want to comment about the idea voiced by the principal and others that there is a culture of guns and violence at BHS and in Berkeley, and that these incidents merely reflect that, so *shrug* what can we do?. If this is the case, why has this culture suddenly appeared in 2011 at BHS? What has changed? I do not remember any reports about guns at school in 1995 or 2001 when my children attended BHS. I don’t recall any news stories over the past 10 years about guns at BHS. I don’t think Berkeley as a community has become more violent in the past 10 years. So what gives?

@PorcelinaGrout: Berkeley Police Captain E. Upson was on the presentation panel and available for questions at the Forum meeting last night.

It was unclear from Mr Golde’s comments whether he was referring to recent incidents or ones that took place some time ago. Certainly Principal Scuderi vehemently denied that there would be deliberate cover ups of any aspects of gun or violent activity at the school under his jurisdiction.

Since we have been reporting on BHS and happenings there, the school administration seems to have been transparent about communicating incidents that happen on campus.

Scuderi’s comments about the motives for bringing guns on campus were made in response to questions from Berkeleyside about whether there might be gang involvement. He went on to outline all that is being done at the school to deal with the situation. His comment was about how pervasive the image of guns is in our culture and how glamorized they are.

Finally — and this is just a suggestion — but could it be that there were guns on campus in earlier years, but the subject was not being aired so much within the community? Or reported by media such as Berkeleyside?

I went to BHS-we did not have gun incidents during that time, which was during the peak of the “crack era” which engulfed many neighborhoods with violence. There was definitely fights which I put into 3 categories a) outsiders from Richmond and Oakland schools coming to campus to fight with specific individuals, b) fights between BHS students-these fights were common between students/groups from neighborhoods that were feuding/fighting outside of school, c) random attacks (“Rat Packs”) where students were randomly beaten by students they did not no-basically violent bullying. Even with those, there were no discharges or brandishing of firearms, at least non made public. Everyone knew the B-building and basements of the G & H buildings were not a good place to be alone, between classes, and using the restroom-well-most used the ones downtown at McDonalds, etc.

The bottom line is these kids are carrying in violence from the neighborhoods, which won’t change until that violence is quelled/eliminated/ended. I don’t have a solution for that.

No, you’re right. After the ADA spoke, only parents responded. The administration said nothing. Earlier, it was stated by the administration that BUSD has to take the parolees under 18 back into the district for instruction. Mainstreaming seems to be the tactic, but while ideally that should work, we’re not dealing with an ideal situation here. Far from it. It was clear to all attending that these guys are the problems. And they bring with them all the tactics they’ve learned from being in the system. Sorry, but maybe they need to be isolated or hyper supervised. Convicted felons on parole or probation should not be attending classes there. Many African-Americans (several who spoke openly) admitted that they’re community has to step up and provide mentors to this boys. Men from their community have to get involved and help the situation. The pastor from BOCA attended and suggested this approach. One woman claimed to have two nieces and two nephews attending BUSD. I have to wonder how many people (not saying she was one) take their relatives into BUSD because otherwise, they’d be attending Oakland Tech, which by all accounts, is even worse. Where is the line? One has to be drawn.

I was not able to attend the event last night, so thank you, Berkeleyside, for reporting on this meeting.

Unlike other commenters here, I think it’s too bad Matthew Golde’s felt compelled to make such provocative and incendiary remarks at the meeting. I can’t tell whether he is a current BHS parent, but in any event I doubt he spends very much time actually on campus or in downtown Berkeley, so his likely hyperbole is quite a bit less persuasive. When he speaks of “rampant” crime, is he speaking of convictions or allegations? They’re not the same thing, though I know some DAs who think they are. How can he be so confident he actually knows what happened in alleged incidents that he argues were subject to “cover up”????? Was it really professional for Mr. Golde to attend and make such assertions yesterday? I was not there, so I cannot fully evaluate this, but I’m skeptical.

Nonetheless, Berkeley High is indeed a difficult place. There are many things that make it difficult, and the two factors at the top of my list: 1]it is CROWDED; and 2]it is DIVERSE meaning there are a lot of different kinds of kids and families and teachers and staff with a lot of different kinds of needs and expectations and managing all of that is REALLY HARD. And a lot of disrepectful behavior exists. Of course, bringing a deadly weapon anywhere near campus is profoundly disrepectful (and DANGEROUS!) behavior and cannot be tolerated, but I hope as BHS takes action on the immediate safety issue, BHS can also explore some broader issues relating to respect of the community. While I don’t have full information, it strikes me that a DA coming to a public meeting to make public assertions about cover-ups at Berkeley High doesn’t help in the respect category.

Also disrepectful are teachers who assert they shouldn’t be required to teach kids “who don’t want to learn” (ok, that’s rare, but there are still teacher(s) who allow themselves to be quoted as saying such things). As a taxpayer, I recognize that a lot of different kids come to the school with a lot of different levels of attachment to academics and the school community. My hope and expectation is that the adults in the community — especially the paid professionals — figure out ways to engage our young people to be productive citizens, including but not limited to preparation for college. Obviously, if a kid brings a gun to school, that cannot be tolerated and the kid must be removed. But it’s not just the kid who has failed, and I do hope the adults can work together to make positive progress.

And, in case the reader of this cannot tell, I will say that I’m in the “no metal detectors, please” camp. I hope BHS/BUSD doesn’t see the need to go in that direction.

I too was surprised that the DA would come and speak as a member of the public. I don’t have any basis for evaluating his statements — they could be 100% accurate for all I know. It just seems like an odd approach. (Note: I was not at the meeting.) Can anyone shed any light on this?

Those juveniles criminals do NOT have a legal right to attend BHS!

Students caught bringing a gun to school are recommended for (and likely to receive) expulsion.

Students convicted of many kinds of crimes commited off campus and not “related to school activity or attendence” may not be expelled for those crimes (California Education code 48900(s)).

Demand the school board revise their written policies and procedure to permanently (not one year) remove of all violent convicted felons from BHS.

Such a policy would not be consistent with state law. In fact, readmission hearings after the last day of the semester following the semester of the expulsion are mandatory. More to the point, in any such expulsion or readmission hearing the student has the right to be represented by an attorney and attornies who specialize in this area are likely to fight such a policy. Such a fight can be carried over into higher courts.

Anyone who has attended Berkeley High knows this isn’t new. When I was there 10 years ago it was the same story. And it isn’t just “ghetto” drug related activity that makes B-High feel unsafe either. “Freshmen Fridays” weren’t exactly the most comforting thing for a young kid to go through…administration looking the other way while middle class/wealthy north Berkeley kids hazed the freshmen with paddles and eggs.

Believe it or not, I hear things are actually getting better. The fact that people are getting caught with guns is an improvement. Its not like there weren’t any guns before. Still a lot of work to do though. Being PC about students’ rights is just hindering their safety. Wonder why private schools seem safer?

it’s nice knowing these areas of political correctness are self-imploding. thinning of the herd.

it is CROWDED; and 2]it is DIVERSE meaning there are a lot of different kinds of kids and families and teachers and staff with a lot of different kinds of needs and expectations and managing all of that is REALLY HARD.

Then it is time to make sure that BHS kids actually live here. SF is taking care of the problem by eliminating non SF kids and we should too. It is estimated that 30% of the kids do not live here and we do not have the resources to continue to fill our classes with them…. Heck, no wonder the Bart stations and buses outside the school are busy with kids commuting to high school from outside the area.

Ah, for the days of Pumpsie Green! Guns, violence, and non students are not acceptable on campus. Frankly, I think we should bring back tracking, but of course, that would be politically incorrect. My husband and I graduated from BHS in 1968, our son graduated in 2001, and basically the only thing we could see that was the same about the school (besides a few teachers) was the actual physical location and some of the buildings (the B Building, opened my first year at BHS, burned down while our son was there). I don’t know what to say–we pay taxes for this school, but I don’t think anyone is going to be able to fix things, given today’s political correctness.

Well, maybe what we need is some decent charter schools that are aimed at kids who want to go to college and don’t want to be subjected to what amounts to organized crime while they’re trying to go to school.

Its not the job of “paid professionals to figure out a way to engage our young people to be productive citizens”. That’s the job of the parent, it’s these paid professionals that are to educate the kids. Lets not forget the role of parents in this mess.

When I went to high school in the 1970s in Southern California, the campus was closed–period. No students could come or go without a consent form from parents, verified by the staff, that leaving campus was to go to the dentist or a doctor, etc.

The kids were cooped up together from start to finish. It was considered normal and safer than how Berkeley High School is currently.

The gates were staffed all day, unlocked, but staffed. Outsiders were not allowed in. ID cards were checked.

Big Brother? Not really.

Vouchers. I have a right to opt out of this madness. Give me a voucher. I’m not rich, but I need a safe environment for my child. The BUSD is out of control, and it has been for decades.

Make the IDs the mechanism for entering campus as someone suggested earlier. No ID, no entrance. The district must be able to protect the safety of students and staff, and focus energy and resources on learning. There would be additional expense initially. It seems to me that even the BUSD could require that. I think it’s better than metal detectors. There would need to be a number of them available, like BART, with safety personnel to facilitate mass entrance and prevent the sharing of IDs.

Give the kids a break. The first amendment protects their rights to creative expression.

Berkeleyside, is there a way to further investigate his statements?
Also, I know nothing on how ‘the system’ processes juvenile cases. Are BPD/BUSD/DA coordinating somehow?.. So the kid that allegedly committed murder but is still waiting to be charged… is he attended classes at BHS right now?
Or let’s say some other kid is charged and convicted of armed robbery. Then what? Goes to Juvenile Hall for a couple of years and then is on probation and back at Berkeley High?

Deirdre and Alina,

As you correctly say “I don’t have any basis for evaluating his statements”

But many of us do, as our kids were the victims, and we have done the fighting to fix these massive security failures for years.

The district agreed to meet with parents of school crime rsponsible for contactign the DA and other experts in the hopes we could FINALLY see progress withing BUSD.

Once again, we are being strung along and stonewalled.

The first request went out last spring, we have sent reminders numerous times, and received email responses from the district student services director Susan Craig stating the she and Principal Scuderi was very interested in attending.

However the meeting still is not scheduled. We asked Matt Golde for assistance, and he has attended safety meetings in the fall.

Board members are aware of the agreement to meeting with us, so as some city council members, yet the district continues to put off scheduling the meeting.

Without proper sharing of information, monitoring and supervision of offenders, the level of violence at BHS and in the community will continue to a major problem and the school will be stuck in crisis mode reacting not preventing violent crime.

Completely in agreement@!

Many public schools get lots of money from the state for accepting juvenile delinquents. That money is factored into thier budgets.

That’s tantamount to abandoning public schools.

BTW, you might feel more at home in Contra Costa County.