The school board has expelled six students so far this year but
school officials said, for a district of more than 10,000 students,
six expulsions isn’t out of the ordinary halfway into the
semester.
Gilroy
The school board has expelled six students so far this year but school officials said, for a district of more than 10,000 students, six expulsions isn’t out of the ordinary halfway into the semester.
Like city officials, educators have been on the lookout for gang-related violence after a string of gang shootings and stabbings erupted in the community last month. They are relieved, however, that the numbers of expulsions, arrests and fights are down compared to last year and that tensions from the community at large aren’t leaking onto school campuses.
Last year, 18 students were expelled from the district, said Roger Cornia, district enrollment coordinator.
Though expulsions are down, a new school board policy gives each expulsion more publicity by bringing expulsion recommendations before the board for final review. When Superintendent Deborah Flores came to the district, she collaborated with the board and a newly inaugurated district office team to revamp many district procedures, including the expulsion process.
Prior to this school year, students who were expelled could either choose to sign a contract with the district plotting out an alternative placement or opt for a hearing. Most signed the contract, Cornia said.
“It’s easier on the parents,” he said.
Since the new policy has been implemented, however, expulsion recommendations are issued by school site principals and go before a three-person administrative hearing panel for review, of which none of the administrators can come from the school site in question.
“We want to keep the process as fair and objective as possible,” Flores said.
After the panel hears the case, it forwards a recommendation on to trustees, who learn the details and deliberate in closed session before casting a formal vote during open session.
Even those students who are expelled are often placed in an alternative program within the district, like Community Day School. They are not sent back to the school where the offense was committed.
“Unless the student has committed a crime so serious that the case is handed over to juvenile hall, the board and district still has the responsibility to provide an educational program to the student,” Flores said.
But the recent expulsions had nothing to do with the gang-activity festering in the community, though Flores would not say what the offenses were.
And according to police, arrests and fights at Gilroy High School are down compared to last year. In the first semester of 2007, School Resource Officer Cherie Somavia recorded 45 arrests at GHS and 12 fights. So far this year, police have only made 35 arrests at GHS and broken up seven fights.
“We have not seen a direct correlation,” said GHS Principal James Maxwell of the recent gang activity in the community. “We expected there would be. Every time this stuff has happened on the outside, we have a heightened awareness.”
Trustee Denise Apuzzo, who has a daughter at GHS, said she doesn’t worry for her children’s safety on school campuses.
“As a parent, I feel like my kids are safe,” she said. “Most of the problems that come up, especially gang-related issues, are between gang members. The average kid at GHS is not in a gang. I do worry for the kids who are in gangs who are fighting with each other. It’s a small percentage that creates a lot of unrest.”
Apuzzo guessed that the high density of students on the GHS campus also contributes to any tensions that may arise. The opening of Christopher High School come fall should alleviate some of the problems caused by a crowded campus, she said.
School is still the safest place for students to be during the day, Trustee Francisco Dominguez said.
“When something does happen, it is being addressed,” he said. “No one is getting away with anything. Even though there have been violent situations occurring in our community, our campuses are safe.”
Though six expulsions in a district of more than 10,000 students didn’t make Dominguez cringe, he said even one expulsion is too many but that students must understand the consequences of their behavior.
“We have no tolerance for alcohol, drugs, weapons or violence,” Flores said. “If enforcing that policy makes our statistics go up, then so be it.”
