[BHS Etree] ADMIN - Detailed Information on Firearm Incident from Principal Scuderi

[BHS etree]

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL, contact Richard Ng, rng at berkeley.k12.ca.us

Dear BHS Families:

At approximately 8:45 a.m. a staff member heard what appeared to be a
gunshot coming from a bathroom near the portable in the southeast area of
the campus. That staff member notified supervisors and security. Safety
staff pursued the two individuals off campus and notified police.
Fortunately no one was hurt in the incident.

In response, we closed the perimeter of the campus in preparation for a
possible lockdown. As we knew that the individuals were off campus, we did not upgrade to lock down status but kept all students in classrooms and
out of the hallways and did not permit individuals to enter or exit the
campus effectively closing all access to campus for a period of time. 

We held the perimeter closed for several minutes; this caused students to
remain in their first period classes after the bell and delayed the
beginning of second period. At the same time, students who were arriving
for second period classes were unable to enter the building until clear
and complete descriptions of the individuals we were concerned with could
be broadcast. That was accomplished and soon after, safety staff detained
two individuals fitting the descriptions as they waited outside the
building and handed those individuals (BHS students) over to BPD.

These individuals were searched and after extensive questioning disclosed
the location of a weapon that was recovered off campus shortly thereafter
by BPD. These individuals were arrested by BPD and now face mandatory
expulsions per state education code. 

During the course of the investigation staff got information that another
weapon might be on campus. We initiated an escort protocol and confiscated an unloaded second firearm from a third student who was also inpossession of marijuana. That student was also arrested and will face an expulsion hearing.

Obviously today marks a most concerning trend with weapons being brought on to our campus. Our concern is heightened by the fact that this time a weapon was discharged. 

In response to this incident BHS will increase safety staff and supervision until spring break as we review this situation, and all related situations, in order to craft a comprehensive intervention for this most unsettling series of incidents. 

Ironically, materials arrived today from an organization we have contracted out with called PAX. This organization runs a 24-hour anonymous
hotline that any student can utilize to report a weapon on campus.
Obviously we would prefer to have students report information to a staff
member that they trust, but in the event that they want total anonymity,
they can call 1-866-SPEAK UP. This 24-hour hotline is staffed with trained
counselors and social workers that can receive anonymous tips and then
initiate contact with relevant school and police personnel. A text
messaging option should also be operational within the next week and we
will pass that on to families. Please make certain that this number is
shared with your student.

We are also planning to organize classroom visits by administrators and
counselors to get a deeper understanding of the problem from a student
perspective as we consider our larger response. 

Again, the anxiety this brings to you all is certainly not lost on me and
we are more than aware that a third incident of this type warrants a
deeper and more comprehensive response to these types of issues and
warrants a wider community discussion.

For now I can tell you that our students are safe, in classes, and that
we are doing our best to continue on with teaching and learning despite
this morning’s incident. We will continue to forward information regarding
our response and share as much information as possible. A power outage hit a good portion of our campus and the north Berkeley community this morning as well, yet with all of this, our students and staff again proved how remarkable and resilient they are providing cooperation and working hard in classrooms despite the huge distractions.

District personnel have been extremely supportive and we are collectively
exploring a wide range of options with which to address this persistent
and unfortunate trend.

Respectfully,

Pasquale Scuderi
Principal


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