It hasn’t been a very good summer for WGHS, which is receiving undue negative attention following summer student violence over the last few weeks, potentially unraveling recent successes supported by the community.

As WGx mentioned earlier this month, summer school is in session through July 31, and that brings additional students from across the district into the neighborhood.

The district rotates its summer school location each year, and this is WGHS’s turn for the first time in six years. Students are attending voluntarily, but it is also true that attending students are recovering credits lost to poor performance during the regular year. Typically, students with serious discipline issues are not allowed to attend. Nonetheless, violence has occurred.

Recent violence related to SJUSD summer school hosted at Willow Glen High School has prompted the District and the City to increase police patrols and administrative presence on campus and around the WG neighborhood. A stabbing a few weeks ago, followed by a larger street brawl on Tuesday has raised the issue of student safety amidst the possibility of gang violence.

The district is responding, as posted this morning to the WGNA eList:

In the four and a half weeks we have been in session, there have been no violent incidents on campus during the school day. A recent incident after school and off campus, however, has caused us to increase the number of agencies involved daily on and around the summer school campus. These agencies have been on campus at various times throughout the summer but to ensure the safety of our students both on and off campus, we are working with the City to bring more services to the area.

For the remainder of the summer session through July 31st, The Safe Schools Initiative (a part of SJ Parks and Recreation department) will have people within the neighborhood to monitor student movement after school. The School Liaison Office, run through the San Jose Police Department, will visit the schools, as will “black and whites.” We have 5 administrators, 4 campus supervisors and 2 on-site police officers already at the school, monitoring student movement and activity. We will have District Office employees (including our own SJPD officer) in the neighborhood paying close attention to the bus stops at Cottle & Curtner, Pine & Newport, and Lincoln & Malone, making sure students are safe and acting appropriately.

Please know that this incident involved less than 1% of the students attending summer school and that the rest of the students are on task and focused on learning. No one, parents of summer school students, those who live in the neighborhood, nor District personnel wants a repeat of this incident and we will do everything with in our control to prevent it.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Donald V. McCloskey,
Director of Student Services,
San Jose Unified School District

As an ongoing initiative, the District continues to support an anonymous tip-line for inappropriate behavior (including graffiti, cheating, unsafe driving, bullying, and other concerns), that anyone may call: 886-344-TELL.