Redwood student arrested after assaulting teacher

By Chloe Bowman

A Redwood High School student was seen punching a teacher twice in the face and then being arrested, recorded on video Thursday, Oct. 20, around 11:30 a.m.

The assault occurred in the hallway of Redwood’s second floor. There were many student witnesses, some of whom filmed the incident. In the video, the teacher responded by pinning the student in a headlock. Another adult was able to separate the two, before the student walked away.

First responders, including paramedics and police cars, were dispatched to the scene, where the student was arrested and the teacher received medical attention.

“[The teacher] is receiving precautionary medical attention,” Principal Barnaby Paine wrote in a message to Redwood families later that day.

“We are not aware of any threats being made prior to the incident and do not know at this time what precipitated the event,” Tara Taupier, superintendent of the Tamalpais Union High School District, wrote in a statement. Various claims were spread throughout social media following the incident regarding whether the student was armed with a weapon or not. In a message to Redwood students and families, Payne wrote that the student did not have a weapon.

“What defines us as a community is how we react in the aftermath [of incidents], how we care for each other, and how we make every effort to prevent incidents in the future,” Payne wrote in his message to Redwood families.

The Tam News are not using names to protect the privacy of those involved.

By Kelsey Cook

Names of people accused of allegedly sexually assaulting students of Tamalpais High School were written on Oct. 14 on the Wood Hall girls’ restroom wall.

The school’s administration immediately took down the poster, which contained over 30 names on the list. Within 30 minutes, students in the girls’ bathroom placed a new poster back up with a more extensive list.

Principal J.C. Farr sent out a school-wide email providing information regarding the list later that day. “Tam admin was made aware of the incident and imminently responded to and contacted all students who were directly involved or impacted,” Farr wrote, adding that Tam strives to create a safe environment for students and staff members.

“The thing is, they aren’t gonna avoid us girls’ side unless the boys can change their actions,’’ a sophomore who asked to remain anonymous said.

She expressed her irritation due to the lack of resources for young women at Tam. “It’s just not enough, if over 30 people of possible sexual assaulters are walking around campus and no one seems disturbed then I don’t know what else we can do to put this to an end.”

“If they aren’t going to make a change, we will. The school is blinded to the reality of how girls have been treated,” another anonymous source said.

Sources who asked to remain anonymous described the bigger reason for the poster was for students to know they aren’t alone.

Junior Angelina Arroyo felt upset the poster got taken down. “This is the only way students come forward. Anonymity. No one wants to tell the school about situations like this because it’s so much more than just telling your story. The consequences come with it,” Arroyo said.

“I don’t think stuff like this is avoidable,” campus staff assistant Ralph Wilson said. “I think all schools have procedures for boys and girls to report sexual assault instead of putting it out there in public, hopefully in the future, they can go to a counselor or Wellness Center other than putting it on the wall.”

Wilson feels that the school could do better at making sure the school is available for students to reach out to in such circumstances.

“We just need to constantly remind students we are here for them. I think both parties here need to be protected until this is dealt with,” Wilson said.

Karin Hatton, an assistant princi- pal at Tam, sent out a follow-up email to the community on Oct. 21, which announced affirmative consent lessons that will be taught in all social studies in the upcoming weeks for students.

Additionally, parents will be able to express concerns and learn more information on the situation at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Center on Oct. 27.

There was a student information meeting held on Oct. 26 during the tutorial with a maximum of 50 students that were allowed to attend. Assistant Principal Tara Ranzy and administration received feedback from the seven students who attended.

The top few takeaways from the students include: the QR codes for anonymous reports of sexual assault seem misleading and conversations about sexual assault need to be held in all freshmen through senior classrooms.

There were also requests for better advertisements of hotlines and a safe space to disclose their stories.

The proposed next steps from the administration are posting flyers in the Wellness Center, staff training, posting the process for sexual assault, and asking teachers to market these events both verbally and in their classrooms.