Stockton students leaving Stagg High School over safety concerns
STOCKTON -- Dozens of students are transferring out of Stagg High School in Stockton, citing safety concerns, according to an employee with firsthand knowledge of the school district's admissions numbers.
The Stockton Unified School District (SUSD) spokesperson told CBS13 the transfer numbers are "average" and did not cite safety as a reason for more than one hundred students transferred out of SHS since January.
The school has been at the center of safety scrutiny in recent years after a 2022 stabbing on campus. Alycia Reynaga, 15, was stabbed in an apparently random attack on campus and died. Her family went on to file a lawsuit against SUSD, writing that the teen's death was preventable.
Four months later, a man was able to walk onto the campus while school was in session.
In March of this year, a fight on campus led to two students running and jumping into the river across from the high school. One resurfaced and the second student died. His body was found after a multi-day search.
This incident coincides with a recent uptick in families requesting transfers out of Stagg High School, according to a district employee.
In late February, the incoming 9th-grade class at Stagg High School was about 700 students. As of early April, the class size has dropped to nearly 600.
A SUSD spokesperson shared transfer data with CBS13. They say there have been 127 9th-12th grade students who have left Stagg High School since January due to transfers to specialty schools, transfers to schools that used to have waiting lists and early graduations.
SUSD says the number of incoming 9th-grade students is lower now than before because students are being accepted into SUSD specialty schools.
Stagg High's principal says the transfer number is average due to SUSD taking students off waitlists at other schools.
Parents shared their thoughts on safety in schools with CBS13.
"It's any school you go to. It's all about crowds, who you're hanging out with," said Anthony Santa Cruz, who is the father of a freshman at Stagg.
Santa Cruz, born and raised in Stockton, told CBS13 he believes safety is more about who students are around than the upgrades to safety on campus.
"I see that the gates are often open. There's homeless in the area. The kids are coming and going. There's hardly ever a time the gates are closed," said Vanessa Robinson, a Stockton parent who said her son will never attend Stagg High School.
Stagg High School Safety Plan
When CBS13 reached out to SUSD for a comment on the transfer numbers at Stagg High School, a district spokesperson shared the one-sheet of safety improvements that have been made on campus.
SUSD outlined "layered measures aimed at safeguarding the well-being of all individuals within its campuses."
- Perimeter fencing
- Hall Pass Visitor Management
- Camera System
- CatapultK12 Emergency Communications
- inMapz Emergency Routing
