Beryl Heights hits new low, staff asks board’s help
by Garth Meyer Bad student conduct has led to an urgent call for help from Beryl Heights Elementary teachers, staff and parents, along with a commitment from the school district to further address the problem. The issue went public Nov. 14 when Beryl Heights teachers, staff and parents spoke to the Redondo school board. One parent alleged more than 50 incidents of violence directed at students and staff. The parent did not specify over what time period the events occurred. Beryl Heights Elementary School on Beryl Street in Redondo Beach is a California Distinguished School, and serves about 400 students. Photo by Garth Meyer Five Beryl employees, who have worked in its classrooms from 13 to 28 years, read a letter to the school board “generated by our staff as a whole.” A larger group of district employees watched from the audience. “In the last few months, there has been an escalation in behaviors in which the duration, intensity and frequency have markedly increased,” read Jennifer Conant, a Beryl first-grade teacher for 25 years. “Extreme defiance… biting, hitting and kicking staff, extreme profanity, eloping (leaving campus), staff repeatedly groped in inappropriate places… It…
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