Berkeleyside is a digital newspaper covering Berkeley life, politics, schools, crime, business, and the East Bay food scene since 2009.
A former Bay Shore High School teacher has been convicted of multiple sexual offenses involving a 16-year-old pupil and two teenage girls, marking a significant turn in a long-running abuse saga tied to the district.
The Department of Justice and Education Department have opened a joint investigation into the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, alleging that the admissions process discriminates on race and uses essay prompts to group applicants by identity. Berkeley says it complies with Prop. 209 and federal law, and will provide evidence of compliance. The probe follows a Supreme Court decision on race-conscious admissions and may impact future diversity policies in higher education.
A 23-year-old Colombian business student, Paula Valentina Albornoz Hernandez, has been released after a federal judge ruled that her detention violated due process. ICE had detained her at SFO while she faces deportation proceedings related to visa overstay and a pending asylum claim. The judge prohibited electronic monitoring unless necessary and emphasized due process in detention decisions. Berkeley advocates celebrated the decision and vow to continue defending detained students.