<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt"><div>Dear BHS Families: <br><br>At approximately 9:45 a.m. this morning BHS staff was given information<br>indicating that a student was seen near the campus attempting to conceal a<br>firearm. That information, along with a detailed description of all<br>parties involved, was relayed to safety staff and administrators. <br><br>An elevated security response was initiated and the Berkeley Police<br>Department was notified immediately. <br><br>Shortly afterwards, parties fitting the descriptions, now known to us to<br>be Berkeley High School students, attempted to enter the campus and were<br>immediately detained by BHS staff. Police officers and safety staff then<br>confiscated a firearm and two individuals were arrested. <br><br>Obviously we are pleased to report that no one was hurt. The Berkeley
High<br>School safety staff and the administrative team were calm, professional,<br>and effective in their response. The relationships and rapport our staff<br>has developed with students have been invaluable assets in maintaining<br>campus safety all year long.<br><br>Recommendations for expulsion will be immediately forwarded to the<br>District’s Student Services Division and the two students who were<br>arrested will not return to campus. <br><br>I have requested additional police support for today's dismissal simply as<br>a precaution.<br><br>As I stated earlier in the year I am extraordinarily conscious of how news<br>like this impacts you as parents and can assure you that the safety of our<br>students is always a top priority. We will continue to draw lessons from<br>incidents like these and also dig deeper into strategies to prevent them<br>and to counter the troubling fascination with guns in our culture. <br><br>Again, please remind your
students that if they ever hear of or see a<br>student with a weapon on campus, or even off campus, that they should<br>immediately contact an adult that they trust, a teacher, an administrator,<br>or a safety officer.<br><br>Despite an unsettling morning, we are, as of this writing, very much back<br>to the business of teaching and learning. There are far more positive<br>things that happen on campus than there are negatives like this, and I<br>will make more of an effort to share those highlights with you more<br>regularly.<br><br>I believe that it is my responsibility to share information like this with<br>you as the goal of continuously providing a safe and superior school site<br>is one best pursued by a partnership between staff, families, and the<br>community at large.<br><br>Have a peaceful weekend.<br><br><br>Pasquale Scuderi<br><br>Principal<br>Berkeley High School<br><br> <br><br> <br><br> <br><br><br><br>Pasquale
Scuderi<br>Principal<br>Berkeley High School<br>(510) 644-6120<br><br><br></div>
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