Gilroy
– It is likely coincidence that the gang violence that erupted
on Gilroy High School’s campus Friday occurred one year after a
student threat against a teacher locked down the school for
hours.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – It is likely coincidence that the gang violence that erupted on Gilroy High School’s campus Friday occurred one year after a student threat against a teacher locked down the school for hours. And although school and police say they are better prepared for a threat as serious as last year’s, they don’t think that incident made much difference in responding to Friday’s fights.
“I think they are just very separate kinds of situations,” GHS Principal Bob Bravo said. “In last year’s case, it was a threat against a specific person, a threat of the use of a weapon, but we didn’t know who that person was. In this case, we know who they are, we know where they are.”
Last May 14, a student called 911 twice from a stolen cell phone and told the dispatcher she had a gun, was at GHS and planned to shoot a cooking teacher. What ensued was a harrowing scene, with police carrying assault rifles and alarmed parents waiting on the street and communicating via cell phones with their children, who were locked inside the school. Dozens of public safety officers responded, including Gilroy police, the California Highway Patrols, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and the Gilroy Fire Department.
The three teen-age students suspected of making the prank call, two girls and one boy, were arrested and slated to be expelled, although school officials could not confirm Tuesday that they were no longer in the district. Officials also were unsure whether Gilroy Unified School District has received restitution, although a request was submitted.
The charges against the students have never been revealed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office because they do not fall into the category of “serious or violent” offenses by juveniles that require disclosure under state law. Juvenile records are not released and the students’ names have been withheld by officials.
In early May, The Dispatch submitted a Public Records Act request to learn the outcome of the case, but has not yet received a response from the District Attorney.
Following last year’s lockdown, police and school officials convened to review their response and coordination. District safety officer Roger Cornia has since been working with each school to create updated safety plans and organize practice lockdowns, Superintendent Edwin Diaz said.
“It was something that we had been working on, but after the lockdown, it became more of an urgent issue to make sure that every school (is) clear about our emergency process, regardless of what the emergency is,” Diaz said.
This week, school officials are again meeting with police to turn the microscope to Friday’s four gang-related fights that resulted in five arrests and 12 suspensions.
“Right now, we’re in the process of reviewing how Friday’s incident went, because it’s always good to look back and see how things were done,” Gilroy police Sgt. Kurt Svardal said.
They also are reviewing tapes from the school’s security cameras, a high-tech safety element that was added after the May, 14, 2004 lockdown. Bravo said they are looking to see if the cameras caught something not seen by supervisors, but said so far, they have not produced any new information. They have, however, been used when students try to deny involvement in the fights.
“The cameras are a plus we didn’t have before, but nothing beats having people on the ground and doing their job,” Bravo said.
With five campus supervisors, plus four administrators on campus, the fighting students were quickly controlled, but two supervisors called in sick that day. Another face missing was that of GPD Officer Mike Terasaki, who covers Gilroy schools but was off Friday. His presence may have quelled the situation sooner, Bravo said.
“I think that the situation was handled well, all things considered,” he said.
A full lockdown was never actually implemented Friday, although some teachers did close their doors and ask students to remain inside.
“There really wasn’t a threat to other students,” Diaz said. “The kids involved were almost immediately in the office, … there was enough police presence and also other school personnel presence to keep things in control.”
A lockdown may not have been needed, but police suggested it could have reduced some of the confusion among officers arriving at the campus after the fighting was quelled. Some students were walking or running outside the classrooms, sparking questions, Svardal said.
“You’ll get some misinformation, so it can be a little chaotic,” he said, agreeing with Bravo that the campus settled quickly. “Once everything got re-controlled and the students that were truly causing the problems were removed, we maintained a high presence just to make sure nothing started back up again. A lot of times, just that visual presence of a lot of officers will make people think twice about doing anything.”
One of the arrests came after school, but Svardal said additional GPD officers, plus some from the CHP and Sheriff’s, helped keep students calm.
All 12 students were suspended for five school days, the longest period allowed under California Education Code, and at the very least the students arrested for fighting could be expelled.
“It’s very likely they’ll be recommended for expulsion not only because of the violent nature of what happened, but also for their defiance,” Diaz said.
For example, students continued to verbally and physically fight when supervisors tried to intervene. One 14-year-old student spit on an administrator.
“If kids will not cooperate with school personnel, or even city personnel, then in my mind it’s very difficult to have them on campus, and it’s a danger to have them on campus,” Diaz said.
The majority of students not involved in the gang-related fights did cooperate, as they did during last year’s lockdown, Bravo said. He did see a bit more gawking as students headed to class from lunch, he said, but credited some teachers with helping usher students along.
