A group of 20 high school students from KIPP San Jose Collegiate in San Jose have confronted their school board over homeless people using drugs and leaving needles lying inside the building.
The students allege that homeless people are in the bathrooms and using drugs at the lunch tables.
“We see them coming into our bathrooms. We have them sleeping in our athletic shred and we also have them breaking fences and doing drugs on the lunch table,” student Alfredo Hernández said during the board meeting, according to a report from NBC News.
The high schoolers said that the problem has been ongoing for roughly a year.
There is currently a large homeless encampment right next to the campus and the students would like a fence to be built.
Kipp San Jose Collegiate sent a statement to NBC stating the following:
At KIPP, our number one priority is the well-being of our students, and we take safety issues very seriously.
We are proud of our KIPP San José Collegiate students for raising important, valid concerns through their public advocacy. KIPP staff are committed to working in partnership with East Side Union High School District leaders to address the safety of the facilities at the Independence High School campus, where KIPP San José Collegiate is co-located.
We also know that facilities upgrades alone will not solve the web of complex issues presenting themselves at the school campus. A safe campus and community requires comprehensive coordination—to ensure the well being of all of our neighbors, including the unhoused community in the area. We are committed to working with the district and the City of San José towards a resolution.
The school district has not offered any steps that they are planning to take to immediately protect these students.
