Editorial: School district, sheriff's office stonewalling unacceptable

After reaching out to the San Ramon Valley Unified School District about the status of our Oct. 25 public records request, Communications Director Elizabeth Graswich responded today via email that stated:
"Substantially all of the records the District possesses related to your request are attorney-client privileged communications. Within 3 days of the tragedy on May 8, 2018, the District secured legal counsel and immediately instituted protocols to communicate at and through the direction of our attorney related to this tragedy. Therefore, reviewing and redacting records that may be responsive to your request continues to take significant labor hours to generate.

We believe we will have a further update as-to our progress in compiling responsive records before December 31, 2018."

Thank you for the pursuit of truth. The police have no legal right to withhold the police report. Their denial is all the more reason you should seek the report. SRVUSD needs to share who signed off on allowing 57-62 kids in PE swim class.

Thank you for your continuous efforts at getting the truth disclosed to the public. This district is rife with issues from bullying to racially/religiously charged issues to drug/alcohol problems all swept under the rug. As a parent of a former student in the district and the wife and SIL of SRVHS alum, we are saddened and disgusted by the lack of transparency in this and other matters. Are sports and football so important that they are worthy of a coverup? Is this football coach so worthy that he is above reproach? Is there a reason the tragedy of a student breaking his neck at a party just prior to school graduation and the lack of reporting the underage drinking and drug use due to the family having connections to law enforcement (and because it was a student under this coach who threatened to blow the whistle on this)? So many questions, too few answers and this and many other events. This superintendent needs to go- STAT!

One of the things you are taught as you go through a credential program is that you count. Walking your kids to lunch....you count. Taking them to the bus .....you count. Going on a field trip......you count. Any activity involving your students requires the teacher to count them to know that all of them are there.

Didn’t you know the police chief has a student at SRVHS? He lives in the community. I’ve watched him be pals and hang out with district officials.

Let me get this straight...it took the SRV School Board 3 DAYS to hire Attorneys but 6 MONTHS to formally APOLOGIZE to the Ben's parents?

I honestly wonder how these people sleep at night. Really. How do you function as a human knowing how you've treated people like the Curry's?

I hope the Curry's know we're ALL behind them 110%. This is an outrage that grows by the day.

Let’s not forget that in the middle of this tragedy the school board extended the contract of superintendent Schmitt. What were they thinking??? He should be terminated not rewarded!
This editorial points out just how horrible the leadership in the district is.
It goes without saying that Becker needs to be gone too.
The Curry family continues to suffer every day they need everyone to continue to express their outrage.
A child died and there’s no consequences? I just don’t get it.

To the Former Parent of the SRVUSD Student, you are spot on.... and not to mention the Danville Oaks Rugby situation... hummmm - there seems to be a common thread here. Everyone just wants to cover things up and brush it under the rug without taking accountability....how can these people sleep at night?

This makes me sick. How does a community not get 100% behind the family of a kid that dies.

I am seeing nextdoor and facebook postings disappear on the topic. This is not China we can have disagreements but to actually remove postings that is censorship. Aaron Becker walked away from a drowning child this is a fact. At this point no one can debate that fact. But some people want to debate Ben Curry's role in his death which is not relevant to the main fact. So we dive into the details that are limited.

The request to get the police report and video is blocked so we know that it is a cover up being done by SRVUSD and the police department. We are learning of a close relationship existing between Danville PD and SRVUSD. SRVUSD early statement to "release the truth as they learned it" we are finding to be a lie. Our elected officials of the school board and city of Danville need to be held accountable for how the tragic event continues to be handled. Police Chief Shields has picked a side and aligned with a man that walked away from a drowning child. SRVUSD by not showing any accountability have also aligned with a man that walked away from a drowning child. Elected officials which oversee SRVUSD and the Danville Police are our voice and yet they are silent and not pushing for the release of video and police reports.

When elected officials are more loyal to whom they oversee than the community they are corrupt. SRVUSD and Danville PD is showing that it's loyalty is with itself not to the community they serve.

Release the records so the community can make the decision for whom to assign accountability for the death of Ben Curry. Our elected officials are not stepping forward so we the community will need to step forward and determine accountability.

I agree with Dan..The community should be behind the Curry family 100 percent. What occurred to Ben and the Curry family was wrong on so many levels. Obviously, those not rallying around them have zero empathy or are perhaps as corrupt as the district and the police department. No one thinks such a tragedy can occur to their loved ones until it does.

Like many others have said, thank you for keeping the pursuit of truth alive.

Now, more than ever, we must rally for transparency! Coach Becker's football team just won the NCS Championship - the Olympic Gold Medal equivalent for HS Football. SRVHS and SRVUSD went silent just days after Ben Curry's death in the campus swimming pool during 4th period PE class. It will be interesting to see how the high school, school district, region and state will celebrate Coach Becker. This is a proud accomplishment - one which deserves high praise and accolades under normal circumstances. However, at least for me, this is a bitter pill to swallow. His student...in his class...whom he is technically responsible for...is still dead. Yet, the football team prevailed to take the NCS Championship. The players are obviously talented...would they have won NCS w/o Becker? Unfortunately the team and their victory is overshadowed by the way this May 8 tragedy is unfolding. In my mind, Becker, by staying on as Head Coach and Asst AD, has robbed these kids too. Would there have been a different response/scenario from all involved if it was one of Becker's players who had died on the football field?

Another thing: Not only is Chief Shields an SRVHS parent, his child was in Ben Curry's classes in elementary school. How can he sleep at night? He has known Ben since his own son and Ben started Kindergarten together. We had all been to many birthday parties and field trips together over the years. I was so proud of and thrilled for Allan when he was promoted. I have since lost all respect for Chief Shields as a person and professional since May 8. I honestly thought that he, of all people, would prioritize and demand justice for Ben and the Curry family.

Please don't give up on truth, Justice and transparency.

grateful4,
I'm as frustrated and angry as anyone. But can you elaborate why you partially blame chief Shields? I don't get it. Yeah I know the Danville PD investigated but suggesting it's some sort of cover up is misguided, imho. This serious of a tragedy is waaaaayyy beyond the capabilities of danville pd. Danville pd is good for speeding tickets and jaywalking. So i'd cut them some slack. The truth is coming out and i blame the school district more than anyone at this point.

parentof5,
The comments are in regard to this editorial "School district, sheriff's office stonewalling unacceptable" The sheriff's office in Danville is run by Shields and is not releasing a report on a completed investigation. So he is indeed part of a cover up. The only facts are from Curry's lawyer. Why does Shields continue to withhold the facts they determined during their investigation? My fear is that the relationship of SRVUSD and Danville PD is not professional and can not withstand the light of day. Because SRVUSD is under attack Danville PD also feels attacked and is joining the circling of the wagons.

@parentof5 - I am not suggesting a cover up, per se. I personally don't see evidence that the DPD came alongside the Curry family at any point to support them amidst their tragedy. I just pointed out that Chief Shields knows this family personally through a shared journey with his own son.

This editorial clearly highlights multiple opportunities for the CCC Sheriff's Office, contracted by DPD, to share records, video surveillence footage, reports, etc. with this editorial author and/or media outlets asking for transparency. He/they haven't been forthcoming and have made flimsy excuses as to why requested records are not currently made available. What could they they hiding? Who might they be trying to protect. Chief Shields oversees the entirety of their investigations and public responses. So, I made that last little leap: if he has complete oversight, why would he not act with more fervor in pursuit of truth and transparency...especially if he knows Ben and the family so personnally and there is nothing to hide?

What I hear you saying is that the you believe our police department are made up of some bumbling idiots, incapable of carrying out their duty to protect and serve their community. Make no mistake, the DPD are "real" police officers trained to investigate "real" tragedies just like this one (and the officer-involved fatal shooting downtown last month)...not just speeding tickets and jaywalking.

Something to hide is the facts that are not in favor of Aaron Becker and SRVUSD. But Danville PD have decided that we the public do not have the right to know. As a parent of a child at SRV High I do have the right to know.

SRV Parent, agreed. Wholeheartedly.

"The California Public Records Act requires that certain information contained within a police report must be disclosed upon request, even if the actual copy of the report is exempt from disclosure. (Cal. Gov. Code 6254(f)(1)-(2)(a).) Additionally, the CPRA exemptions are permissive rather than mandatory. (Cal. Gov. Code 6253(e).) It seems the easiest way to provide me with the information I am entitled to is to provide a copy of the police report in this matter, and I am requesting that you do so under the CPRA. If you are unwilling to provide a copy, I am requesting the information I am entitled to from the report, as stated in Cal. Gov. Code 6254(f)."

The above wording might help.

SRVUSD continues to break the rules of transparency. Their agenda for meeting on 1/8/19 does not disclose the needed facts about the "litigation". This prevents the public from tracking litigation the district is facing.

From Gov code 54956.9 (e)(2)
(2) Facts and circumstances, including, but not limited to, an accident, disaster, incident, or transactional occurrence that might result in litigation against the agency and that are known to a potential plaintiff or plaintiffs, which facts or circumstances shall be publicly stated on the agenda or announced.