The staff and students of Peninsula High School are calling upon the school district to fix the many problems plaguing their school campus—problems that arose from district neglect. In a letter to the SMUHSD Board of Trustees, the staff and students outlined the problems and the steps that must be taken to fix them.
Peninsula High School is the seventh school in the San Mateo Union High School District. It was originally located at the site of Crestmoor High School, but has now been relocated to Burlingame. Peninsula High School serves students who may have struggled through traditional schooling, been at risk of not graduating, or experienced other hardships that made traditional class no longer an option. The school has a little under 200 students, and functions as a continuation school within the district.
In their letter, the staff outlined the ways in which the district has disregarded Peninsula High School. One of their first points was the lack of a Youth Catalysts Liberatory Leadership (YCLL) initiative on their campus. The school district started YCLL as a program in which students are encouraged to develop projects and make anti-racist initiatives on campus. YCLL was offered in every school, except for Peninsula, taking away this leadership opportunity from the students.
Secondly, they are federally funded almost entirely by Title I as more than 40% of Peninsula High School’s students come from low income families. Permanent staff salaries are being paid through Title I funding, rather than through the district like for other schools. This is a problem because this funding is limited and intended to go towards school facilities. By drawing from this limited funding to pay teachers rather than directly from the district, the school continues to suffer with monetary issues.
Along with this problem, they are suffering from a lack of adequate staffing. They have no lead wellness counselor, few administrative assistants, no student success coordinator (the only school without one), and a cafeteria staff of only one. Due to such shortages, staff members are forced to take on multiple roles.
Lastly, the writers of the letter brought up many safety questions about their building. Before construction, they had numerous concerns that were never resolved. According to the CDE (California Department of Education) suggested school sizes, the new building does not adequately support enrollment. There is no staff break room, for one. There are also multiple shared offices—campus closets and storage units had to be converted into offices—and even the technology room was deemed out of compliance during the fire department inspection. Furthermore, there is no wellness center and no communal space to hold rallies, assemblies, and other all-school events. After moving in, concerns heightened as construction was still going on, which caused loud noises and safety hazards. Many students and families have also expressed discomfort about the building, stating that it looks like juvenile detention or prison.
There have also been significant issues with water quality and access. After first returning to campus in Spring 2021, the water was discolored and not drinkable. The only access to filtered drinking water was through purchase in the cafeteria. The water has tested positive for high levels of ammonia and has presented in a milky and blue color, largely from sediment present in faucets. This issue has since been addressed, but it posed a major inconvenience for students and staff.
When asked about how the district plans on going forward with these issues, Dr. Skelly said “the letter contains a lot of areas of concern, and we are going to address it.” He further stated “we want to make the school a place that people are proud to be at.” The district has begun meeting with Peninsula administration and staff in order to build a comprehensive plan to address these issues.
The issues at Peninsula High School have not been addressed, and only continue to become more of a safety and wellness concern for the students and staff who rely on this school for education and support.