Courtesy of San Benito High School:
Some San Benito High School students held a peaceful protest on the front steps of the San Benito High School administration building on Wednesday, March 14, joining others from across the country encouraging Congress to take steps to curb gun violence while honoring the 17 people killed one month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
District officials, while not supporting the walkout, worked with the student protesters ahead of the action to provide a safe venue in which students of all perspectives could express themselves. During the school’s morning break between classes, some students held signs and handed out flyers that addressed gun violence. The flyer noted that the goal was to promote dialogue, collective action and “change to a system that won’t fix itself.”
“They were addressing issues of safety that are integral in public schools across our nation,” said Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum, emphasizing that the district was not facilitating or advocating one message over another. “However, we have an obligation to ensure as safe an environment as possible.”
The district on Monday sent out a communication to parents, students and the community acknowledging the likelihood of a walkout while encouraging students to remain in class and on campus.
Tennenbaum thanked the community for its ongoing dialogue and collaboration “regarding an issue that affects schools not just in Hollister, but nationwide.”
Principal Adrian Ramirez said that from the time that various walkout and protest dates were communicated through national media, the SBHS leadership team “has been planning for how we would ensure our students’ safety while also respecting their First Amendment rights. Our approach was to ensure that we had open and transparent communication with our students, their families, our staff and the local community.”
Ramirez credited the “open communication with student leaders” as “the most critical factor that contributed to a peaceful and respectful demonstration today. As a Principal, I couldn’t have asked for students to conduct themselves in a more respectful manner. On a campus that has nearly 3,000 students, we have a lot of different perspectives on the issue of gun control. Our community should be proud that our student body, regardless of their viewpoint, conducted themselves in a peaceful manner. Today was a valuable learning experience for our campus.”
At its March 13 meeting — a day before the nationwide walkouts — the San Benito High School Board of Trustees passed a resolution urging the state of California and the United States Congress to “implement common sense measures that prioritize student safety and environments where all students have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.”
The resolution noted that gun violence on school campuses, “while relatively rare, represents a particularly egregious and unacceptable threat to the lives of students, teachers and staff across the country.” San Benito High School, the resolution said, “supports the right of students and staff to attend schools that are safe and free from violence and harassment, especially life-threatening forms of violence.”
Safe schools, it continues, “provide an environment where teaching and learning can flourish; disruptions are minimized; violence, bullying and fear are absent; students are not discriminated against; expectations for behavior are clearly communicated and standards of behavior are maintained; and consequences for infractions are consistently and fairly applied.”
Stating that the “most effective approach to creating safe school environments is a comprehensive,coordinated effort including school-wide, district-wide and community-wide strategies supplemented with legislation, resources and support at the state and federal legislation level,” the resolution was unanimously supported by trustees.
The district, the document pledges, will continue to work with a broad spectrum of local community stakeholders, local law enforcement, mental health professionals, parents,
students, teachers and staff to take any threats of violence seriously and to develop, implement and monitor policies and programs that foster and support a positive school climate, free from harassment and violence.
The resolution asks Congress “to pass specific legislation that reduces the risk and severity of gun violence on school campuses and repeals the prohibition against data collection and research on gun violence by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
