Following the arrest of nine students in January for drug possession and sale and the stabbing of a student in late February, University City High School (UCHS) may appear unsafe to some community members and concerned parents.
But according to statistics presented by Principal Ernest Smith on Tuesday, March 6, crime rates on campus have generally decreased in the past three to four years.
“Generally speaking, we are a quiet campus ” even with the drug bust and the stabbing,” Smith said during a safety meeting at the school library. “We keep making the news for this extreme stuff, but as far as fights on campus, we just don’t have the numbers.”
The stabbing occurred Feb. 22 during the last class period in a bungalow classroom near the school’s administration office, according to Smith. A male student used a knife to stab a male classmate and injured another male student in the process, Smith said.
A lockdown took effect after the incident, which happened between 1 and 1:30 p.m., and students were kept in their last-period classrooms until 2:10 p.m., Smith said.
Details about the incident were not released because the case is ongoing, according to school police officer Larry Wood. The officer added that the incident was an isolated and contained event and that he had not seen any additional adverse effects on campus since it happened.
But a room of 40 community members questioned whether administration and police are taking steps to prevent future violent crimes and drug-related issues on campus.
“I heard this incident had been building ” that these boys had altercations that day in the morning and at lunch,” said Susan Carson, parent of a UCHS sophomore. “What did the school do to prevent this from happening? What is the school doing behind the scenes to make children feel safe?”
The school could not confirm any information related to the actions it might have taken prior to the incident because the case is still under investigation, school police Sgt. George Anderson said.
When school administrators are made aware of a potentially dangerous conflict, they are required to pull the students aside to work with counseling and law enforcement staff to try to diffuse the situation, Smith said. If the problem is not resolved, San Diego police usually get involved, he said.
Steps taken by the school since the incident are extensive and include installing security cameras, which school volunteers had raised money to purchase and install earlier this year. Smith has also looked into hiring more school police supervisors.
UCHS, with a student body of 1,900, has four school supervisors and one school police officer, which it shares with Standley Middle School, Smith said. Although attempts to secure more officers and supervisors have been made, school safety boils down to finances, he said.
One attendee suggested that instead of focusing on increased law enforcement, the school should turn its energies to providing more counseling services to give children an outlet for their anger and frustration.
“We have students at University High School who are very bright, sometimes even brighter than many adults,” Smith said. “But sometimes when they get into a crisis, they don’t make very good decisions. No child has the right to stab another child, and the school must do its part and the parents must do their part in making them feel that they are able to communicate with us.”
Smith confirmed that the student responsible for bringing the weapon to school and the students involved in selling drugs had been disciplined under the Zero Tolerance policy and have been moved to alternative learning environments. He emphasized that the Zero Tolerance policy ” a document that each student must sign before attending UCHS, which says drugs and weapons will not be tolerated on school premises ” will continue to be enforced.
The January drug bust “” which occurred after an undercover San Diego police officer posed as a UCHS student and was sold illegal substances such as marijuana, ecstasy and prescription pain medication “” also prompted Smith to consider using drug dogs, he said. The dogs are trained to scout out drugs by sniffing abandoned backpacks and lockers, Smith said.
“It’s a fear factor thing,” Smith said, explaining that students would be forewarned of drug dogs being on the campus. “We don’t need to catch these kids with the drugs ” we need to stop them from having the drugs.”
Although the motivations behind the stabbing have not been released, several people at the meeting claimed the fight erupted over a female student and others asked Smith whether it had been race-related.
Smith confirmed that the stabbing victim is an African-American and that the aggressor is white. It was his understanding as of Tuesday that the incident was not race-related, he said.
The day after the incident, members from the San Diego Unified School District’s race and relations and crisis teams were present on campus to ensure that students felt comfortable attending classes, Smith said.
UCHS has several groups on campus that teach students diversity tolerance skills, Smith said, adding that the school has not had as many race-related disputes since the programs were implemented.
He also pointed out that class divisions between seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen are more a concern at UCHS than race issues.
UCHS is dedicated to making all students feel comfortable in their learning environment, Smith said.
“Our first responsibility is your child’s safety,” he told the audience. “Your child has to be safe here and should feel safe here.”
For information about UCHS or other district campuses, visit www.sandi.net and click on “Our Schools.”