SAN RAMON, Calif. (KGO) — It’s not what happened at the actual Homecoming Dance at California High School in San Ramon, it’s what happened in the parking lot during that dance that is raising eyebrows.
An assistant principal was attacked by a 16-year-old visiting student who according to San Ramon police, dragged her by the hair from one spot in the lot to another.
“It’s alarming to see that our students would respond to authority figures in that way,” said Kristine Arneson, a parent.
Kristine Arneson has kids in the San Ramon Unified School District and like others we spoke with, is surprised and upset over the assault.
“It’s a big deal and on top of that, when you go to another person’s homecoming it’s a night of celebration for those students so my suspicions were, did they go there for reasons that weren’t great to begin with?” asked Arneson.
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“This is a nice area to live and raise our kids and we don’t expect kids to behave like that in this area,” said Arlene Hartono who is a parent in the district.
“That’s really hurtful and hard to hear because all of our assistant principals are super wonderful and super amazing,” said Addison Erridge who graduated from California High last year.
Police say the 16-year-old was with another teen in the parking lot around 8:45 Saturday night when the assistant principal approached them to say that leaving the dance early is not allowed.
Officers say that’s when the assault happened. Afterwards, both teens left. The 16-year-old was later arrested at his home and has been charged with felony assault and kidnapping, due to the allegation that he dragged the assistant principal across the parking lot by her hair.
Parents want justice.
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“Even though the student is 16 years old, that’s still old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, in my opinion, so how do we hold that individual accountable?” asked Arneson.
Police say the assistant principal was treated at the hospital after the incident. The teenage suspect doesn’t attend California High School but does go to school in the district.
We did give both the district and police a chance to speak with us on camera about this. They both declined. Those with the district did say that unsafe conduct like this will not be tolerated here or at any school in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
San Ramon Police released this statement:
Our officers responded to an assault at California High School on Saturday evening at roughly 8:45 pm. During the investigation, our officers determined the Assistant Principal contacted two juveniles in the school parking lot about leaving the Homecoming Dance early, which was not allowed. During this interaction, the 16-year-old suspect physically assaulted the Assistant Principal and then fled the area with the second juvenile. Based on the injuries sustained by the Assistant Principal, the 16-year-old suspect was arrested at his home a short time after the assault took place and later booked at Juvenile Hall for multiple felony violations. The suspect was not enrolled at California High School but is a student at another high school within the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
Detectives from the San Ramon Police Department presented the case to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office yesterday (Tuesday, 10/23/24) and the District Attorney’s Office filed two felony charges against the juvenile suspect for violations of Penal Code 243(d) – Felony Assault and Penal Code 207 – Kidnapping.
***To explain the kidnapping charge in a little more detail, this specific penal code violation was applicable because during the assault, the suspect dragged the Assistant Principal by her hair from one location to another within the parking lot.***
Regarding the injuries sustained by the Assistant Principal, she was treated by emergency room medical staff the night of the incident but from what we know, it was not an extended hospitalization.
San Ramon Valley Unified School District released this statement:
Dear SRVUSD Staff and Families,
We are writing to share information about a troubling incident that occurred during the Homecoming Dance on Saturday at California High School in San Ramon. An Assistant Principal approached two students in the parking lot, and during this interaction, one of the students physically assaulted our Assistant Principal, and the students then left the parking lot. The two students involved in this matter are not Cal High students but are enrolled in another SRVUSD high school. Our Cal High staff, families, and students have already received a communication about this situation.
We want to be clear that, in no uncertain terms, this conduct will not be tolerated at Cal High or at any school in SRVUSD. We care deeply about the safety and well-being of our students, as well as all of our staff.
The San Ramon Police Department (SRPD) responded quickly and later that night, a juvenile was taken into custody by the SRPD. We will continue to cooperate fully with the SRPD on their investigation. SRVUSD will also conduct a comprehensive investigation and will pursue all disciplinary consequences to the fullest extent permissible by law. We want to be clear that, in no uncertain terms, we take the safety of our students and our staff as a top priority. Unsafe conduct will not be tolerated at Cal High or at any school in SRVUSD.
We recognize this incident, and hearing/reading about it may be troubling for students, staff, and our community. We want to remind you that each of our schools has options for students to receive counseling support, and we encourage you to reach out to your Principal if you feel your student could benefit from speaking with someone.
This incident is not a reflection of the outstanding character and conduct of our student population at Cal High or in SRVUSD as a whole. As we shared directly with the Cal High community, we all have a collective responsibility to care for one another and ensure that each and every site in SRVUSD is a place where all members of our community are safe, both physically and emotionally.
The San Ramon Police Department (SRPD) has taken the lead on the investigation into this matter, and if you have any information you would like to share, please contact the SRPD Investigations Division at (925) 973-2700, as well as your school administration.
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