Cal High Students Stage Brief Walkout To Protest New Rules

SAN RAMON, CA— California High School students staged a brief walkout on Aug. 21 to protest what they viewed as an administrative overreach by new Principal Demetrius Ball. Some of those rules have since been modified or revoked.

An Aug. 21 editorial in the student newspaper “The Californian” accused Ball of implementing a “barrage of new, far-reaching rules,” including:

• A new policy mandating that students without fifth or sixth periods must leave in the first 10 minutes of lunch.
• Closing spaces on campus for lunch, including the parking lot, sports fields, and indoor spots.
• Assigning students parking spots.

The editorial argued that the new lunch seating rules resulted in an “egregious lack of seating,” and the assigning of parking spots was causing undue inconvenience and expense due to lack of necessary enforcement. Finally, the editorial accused Ball of laying out the new rules prematurely.

“Administrators failed to build connections and trust with students before implementing drastic new rules at the start of the year, leaving us feeling overwhelmed,” the editorial reads. “These first weeks of school, students were naturally frustrated to adapt to a new set of school rules with no explanation. Better initial communication would have softened the blows to the community and left less room for speculation and stewing frustration.”

The walkout was brief. About 15-20 students joined, but two administrators outside the parking lot prevented them from leaving after just a few minutes, according to Californian Editor-In-Chief Daphne So. SRVUSD spokesperson Ilana Samuels told Patch that there was no walkout.

“Students posted a story to their SnapChat and the Cal High Administration spoke with those students, and the students said it was a joke,” Samuels wrote in an email. A photo posted to The Californian’s Twitter profile shows a large number of students gathered in the school parking lot.

Whatever the exact nature of the protest, changes have been made. Students are now allowed to retrieve items from their car while at lunch, and as of Aug. 15, additional indoor spaces have been opened up for students during lunch, though the editorial says that more are needed. Principal Ball said in an email that “we will look at opening additional spaces for students to use during lunch on campus, provided that we have the ability to properly supervise those areas.”

Students with no fifth or sixth period may also stay on campus through lunch, according to an email from Ball.

Students are still asked to stay in class during the first and last ten minutes of class except for emergencies, according to Samuels.

Assigned parking spaces remain in effect, but Ball has solicited input from the community regarding traffic circulation. “ Over the course of the first several weeks of school, as traffic patterns settle in, we will continue to evaluate and assess things to make sure the system is as efficient and safe as possible. Additionally, we have invited our partners from the City of San Ramon Transportation Division and the San Ramon Police Department to come on campus this week or next week to review traffic and circulation with me and other administrators,” he said in an email.

“It has been great to be part of the California High School community thus far. I, alongside our entire admin team, am committed to soliciting feedback from the community and will create more opportunities for our students, parents/caregivers and staff to brainstorm and provide input on changes like this. I look forward to working with our students and families to make this a great year for all of us,” Ball continued.