A number of stories in the media this week suggesting that teen prostitution was on the rise at Berkeley High School has prompted both the Berkeley Police Department and Berkeley High to hit back with evidence to the contrary. Principal Pasquale Scuderi also expressed his disappointment with some of the coverage and its potential impact on the school’s reputation.

A December 8th piece on KTVU Channel 2, headlined “Reports of teenage hookers rock Berkeley High” spoke of “high school girls pacing the blocks of San Pablo Avenue for sex” and said the Berkeley police were receiving one to two referrals a month from Berkeley High officials about suspected student prostitution.

BUSD spokesperson Mark Coplan told Berkeleyside there have been “zero” referrals from BHS about juvenile prostitution. And, in a release put out on Thursday, BUSD Superintendent Bill Huyett said: “We have reviewed the two years referred to, and have confirmed that there have been no referrals for prostitution of any kind from Berkeley High School in 2010 or 2011.” … Continue reading »