[BHS Etree] ADMIN: Message Regarding Possible Demonstrations Tomorrow, Apr. 27 (Thu)

[BHS Etree]

PLEASE do not reply to this email.



Berkeley High Community and Families,



I am writing to let you know that we are aware of the possibility, as well
as the uncertainty, surrounding conservative commentator Ann Coulter’s
potential visit to the U.C. Berkeley campus tomorrow. There have been many
conflicting reports in the media about what exactly will take place, and we
are working with BPD as well as BUSD district staff to get the best
information we can.



What we will prepare for, whether or not Coulter comes to Berkeley, is that
supporters for and against her speech are publicly, through social media,
announcing plans to demonstrate regardless. While these activities may
remain centered at U.C. Berkeley, the fact that recent protest actions have
occurred in Civic Center Park, adjacent to our campus, raises the potential
that groups may gather there again tomorrow.  Since these events raise
noteworthy safety concerns, we are asking our school community to be aware
of what could unfold on the UC campus, the downtown area, or next to our
campus tomorrow. Our primary goal is to ensure that BHS students avoid
unsafe situations.



We plan to hold classes as usual on Thursday, yet as precautions we plan to
do the following:



·Close the Allston (“A gate”) side of our campus after 9:00 tomorrow.  All
entrances and exits to the buildings will shift to the Milvia side of
campus.  The MLK side will remain closed as always.

·Have extra safety staff on the perimeter throughout the day

·We will make a determination about how to proceed with lunch dismissal
based on how events in the morning unfold.  If needed, we will keep the
Allston side of campus closed to all in and out traffic.

·Maintain consistent contact with Berkeley PD via our on-site School
Resource Officer



Furthermore, we ask that you:



·  Speak to your students about being safe and making good choices to stay
away from potentially violent crowd behavior

·  Strongly encourage students to stay away from Civic Center Park, the
Shattuck area, or anywhere near the U.C. Berkeley campus on Thursday

·  Be aware of potential traffic issues for pick-up on Thursday, and make a
plan to pick up students somewhere other  than the Milvia Street side of
campus if possible



Thank you for your time and attention. We in no way mean to unnecessarily
raise anxiety in our community, but we simply want to share information
openly around potential events like these. We will communicate with
families as the day develops and keep our community informed of any
important or relevant changes or activities as they occur.



Thank you,

Erin Schweng

_____________________________

Marguerite Fa-Kaji, Catherine Ference and Dylan Kaufman are the
parent-volunteer facilitators of the Etree; please direct any questions
about the Etree to them at bhs-owner at lmi.net.



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