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Dear BHS Families and Community Members:<br><br>This morning, at approximately 11:00 a.m., BHS Administrators and Safety<br>Officers, working off of information provided to us from multiple sources,<br>confiscated a small caliber firearm from a student on campus. The Berkeley<br>Police Department was contacted immediately and took over the<br>investigation that continues as of this writing. Administratively, BHS<br>Staff will immediately recommend the student for expulsion as required by<br>law. <br><br>The nature of this incident is disheartening and reminds us of the<br>increasing need to dissuade and prevent kids, and people in general, from<br>using firearms as solutions to their problems or grievances. While this<br>incident itself is most troubling and validates our need to sustain<br>intense protocols, efforts, and policies around student safety, I am<br>pleased to report that no one was hurt and that the firearm itself was<br>safely and quietly
turned over to law enforcement officials. <br><br>While I am very pleased with the work and efforts of our staff in managing<br>and responding to this incident, the administrative team and safety staff<br>will nonetheless conduct a thorough review of our process with the goal of<br>continuously improving what we do in the area of student safety. <br><br>Student safety is something that we will never get complacent about.<br><br>Please remind your students that if they ever hear of or see a student<br>with a weapon on campus that they should immediately contact an adult that<br>they trust like a teacher, administrator, or safety officer.<br><br>It is very clear to me that receiving word of incidents like this must<br>cause you immense anxiety as parents and caregivers. Hopefully the<br>knowledge that this is an atypical and isolated incident, coupled with the<br>fact that BHS staff works very hard every day to prevent incidents like<br>these and manage
them safely on the rare occasions that they arise will<br>give you some degree of relief. <br><br><br><br>Respectfully,<br><br>Pasquale Scuderi<br>Principal<br>Berkeley High School<br><br><br><br></div></div>
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