School is supposed to be a space for students to learn and congregate safely. But Skyline students have never been more unsure of that than after the Nov. 12 bathroom shooting during 7th period, which left one student injured. Police say two students are under arrest.
Less than 24 hours later, legendary former Skyline football coach John Beam was shot at Laney College and died the next day. Nine Skyline students were on a field trip at Laney while the active shooter was on campus and had to go into their second lockdown in two school days.
The Nov. 12 shooting marked Skyline’s third lockdown this year and another traumatic event for students, especially those who have been on campus for four years. The campus had two nonfatal shootings in 2023-24, a nonfatal stabbing in 2022-23, and other violent fights.
In response to the back-to-back shootings, more than 600 Skyline students walked out on Nov. 18, calling for an end to gun violence in student spaces. Blake Rogers, an AED junior who helped organize the walkout at Skyline, said the protest has made an impact.
“A lot of people maybe felt heard and felt more of a sense of community because there were so many people at that walkout, she said, adding it was nice for students to see so many like-minded people at their school.”
Rogers said she hopes people realize how widespread the damage is when there is an act of gun violence and “how damaging it is for not only the person who’s shooting, the person who got shot, but the people around it.”
Even before the walkout, many students had been voicing concerns about how adults at the school, district, state, and national levels handle gun violence and security. That was clear in responses to a survey The Oracle conducted after the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The 84 respondents shared their opinions on gun violence and other safety issues. Only 20 percent of students answered that they felt safe from gun violence happening at Skyline. Later, students were asked to give a written response about what they wanted adults to understand.
“I want adults and leaders to understand that many teenagers feel unsafe in school due to the significant increase in gun violence in recent years,” wrote one 9th grader who did not provide their name for the survey.
The student also expressed frustration with the communication about the first lockdown, which took place when police
received an alert that a student had a firearm on campus. A two-hour search by police did not uncover any truth to the report.
“Parents were not informed until almost 40 minutes later,” the student wrote. “A staff member even told me they had no idea what was happening, which underscores the dysfunctional system at Skyline that could lead to future problems.”
Another anonymous 9th grader had much to say about what adults should know.
“I would like them to know that we don’t feel safe. Even if we say we do, we don’t. I still see everyone’s heads snap around when they hear a door slam. As a trans kid with trans friends, I know how scared we all are about the future. Many people in America think we’re just mentally ill. We don’t feel free, and we feel taken over by a dictator. Do people really think this is okay? That this is what the founders of America wanted?”
This student was not alone; many wrote about fear and national politics in the open-ended portion of the survey.
Students who stayed on campus during the walkout were invited to a listening session in the library with school leaders. A Town Hall on Nov. 20 to discuss safety drew 300 parents, students, teachers and school and district leaders to the auditorium. Meanwhile, parents have been taking various actions, including a Dec. 1 support rally for Skyline on a nearby overpass and near the campus.
The Oracle plans to report more about actions to improve school safety in its next issue.
