Last month we brought you the story of Oakland California and the school district decision to eliminate suspensions because too many black students were being suspended for poor behaviors. Now another California school district reports alarming High School crisis in exhaustive detail.

BTA teachers say they are discouraged by the principal from suspending students. But they also note that her approach reflects a statewide trend to find other types of resolution for problematic behavior, including by managing it more often in the classroom.

BERKELEY – Teachers at Berkeley’s alternative high school have raised concerns about the state of affairs on campus, citing “extreme behavior” among students, chronically low attendance, a lack of academic rigor, and a generally unsafe campus environment due to deficient security resources and limited district support.
Berkeley Unified School District officials and the school principal have repeatedly declined to speak in depth about safety at Berkeley Technology Academy, the district’s lone continuation high school. The campus serves the district’s highest-need students, many of whom are minorities who come from challenging home environments. Data reviewed by Berkeleyside paints a stark picture of increasing suspensions and dangerous activity at the school site in recent years, including a spike last year in suspensions related to assault or battery on school staff.  (read more)