Meet your school board candidates in Berkeley’s November 2022 election.
Sexual harassment
Posted inSchools
Berkeley charter school teacher faces sexual assault allegations in civil lawsuit
Three years ago, a former REALM Charter School teacher was exonerated in criminal court of sexually assaulting a student. Now the student is filing a civil suit.
Posted inSchools
Berkeley school district faces 2 more child sex abuse lawsuits
The lawsuits claim staff members at two elementary schools sexually abused students in 1967 and 1995 and the schools failed to stop it.
Posted inSchools
3 Berkeley High custodians sue over sexual harassment, gender discrimination
This is the second lawsuit since 2019 to describe a culture of sexual harassment and unequal treatment in Berkeley High’s custodial department.
Posted inSchools
District settles sexual assault lawsuit that sparked Berkeley High walkout
A former student had sued the Berkeley school district for negligence after she said she was assaulted in a classroom three years ago.
Posted inCommunity
Berkeleyside’s Ally Markovich wins SPJ NorCal award for speaking ‘truth to power’
She won a James Madison Freedom of Information Award for her deep dive into sexual misconduct allegations against a Berkeley High teacher.
Posted inSchools
Update: Teacher in sexual assault suits has license revoked
Matthew Bissell is no longer allowed to teach in California public schools after a commission permanently revoked his teaching credential.
Posted inObituaries
Remembering Barbara S. Bryant, Berkeley Law lecturer, sexual harassment legal expert, avid hiker
Bryant summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, hiked the John Muir Trail, attended 100-plus performances at Berkeley Rep and San Francisco Opera, and rode a Harley-Davidson in San Francisco’s Pride Parade.
Posted inSchools
Buffy Wicks considers legal changes to prevent educator sexual misconduct from getting ‘swept under the rug’
Prompted by Berkeleyside’s investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against a Berkeley High teacher, Wicks is considering changes to the California Public Records Act and Education Code.
Posted inSchools
In 2nd lawsuit, another student accuses Berkeley High chemistry teacher of sexual assault
The suit argues that the Berkeley school district’s inaction reveals a pattern of protecting “predators over students.”
Posted inSchools
Berkeley High knew for 15 years of allegations chemistry teacher sexually harassed students
After years of sexual misconduct complaints, the school district signed a gag order allowing Matthew Bissell to quietly resign.
Posted inSchools
Berkeley Unified sheds light on plans to improve Title IX office
Changes are coming to the district’s sexual harm reporting process, the result of mounting community pressure to better protect survivors.