OAKLAND, CA – Myrna Castrejón, President and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), issued the following statement in response to the school shooting at the King Estates School Complex in East Oakland on Wednesday, September 28, 2022:
“It is troubling and upsetting to hear news about a senseless school shooting that has injured several individuals and has traumatized countless others.
“The entire California charter public school community stands with families and educators across Oakland and is committed to greater collaboration with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to ensure all students and faculty can learn and teach in a safe environment and without fear.
“To OUSD Board Members, let’s partner as one public school community to find solutions to increase safety and security so that this does not happen again. Let’s find common ground on behalf of the students and families we serve. Our shared pain at this time is also our shared responsibility.
“The King Estates School Complex houses multiple schools, including Bay Area Technology School (BayTech), an incredible charter public school that is transforming the lives of Black and Latino students in East Oakland by providing them with a high-class education, cutting-edge technological resources, and wraparound social services.
“I commend BayTech staff for quickly coming together and thinking deeply about how to respond to this tragedy and deploy increased security on our shared campus site. I’d also like to thank Lighthouse Charter Public Schools, Education for Change Public Schools, and Aspire Public Schools for volunteering their own ‘boots-on-the-ground’ mental health professionals to be on-hand once BayTech students return to campus on Monday, October 3.
“I encourage California’s entire charter public school community to reach out to help our public school community in Oakland that is hurting. Now is the time to come together and take collective action to protect our kids and stop further violence on California’s public schools.”