PUSD director of communications Patrick Gannon said the student who was assaulted -- also a Pleasanton Middle School student -- was taken to seek medical care but he could not confirm or share the injuries sustained by the student because the incident took place off campus.
Silacci said that in cases such as fights, there could be police and school consequences depending on the student's ages but noted that people under the age of 14 are generally not arrested per California Penal Code.
"The goal of the juvenile justice system is to focus on rehabilitation," Silacci said.
He added that Pleasanton Middle School administrators are also investigating the case as the school has jurisdiction over their students from the time they leave school until they get home. The city library is located across the street from the middle school.
"Pleasanton Middle School administration has been in contact with both families to provide support," Gannon said. "Principal (Joe) Nguyen communicated with the community following the incident in addition to sharing information with students in classrooms to address and educate our zero tolerance for physical altercations and productive ways that the school community can foster a safe and healthy learning environment for all students."
Gannon told the Weekly that while the district can't comment on individual student discipline, they do have administrative regulations on student discipline which includes discussion or conference between school staff, the student and parents; counseling support; and individual educational programs related to restorative justice.
The district can also provide anger management, social and emotional learning programs and after-school programs that address specific behavioral issues.
But Ghezal Beliakoff, who posted the video of the altercation on Nextdoor, told the Weekly that this has been an ongoing issue with a group of students at the middle school and that more needs to be done.
"My daughter is a seventh grader and she's afraid to go to the bathroom at her school because she's afraid that they're going to jump her," Beliakoff said. "She's not the only one. Kids are afraid every day at PMS for their lives. I mean, we live in Pleasanton. These kids should not be afraid (for) their lives, right?"
Beliakoff, who saw the video after her daughter showed it to her, said she pressed for charges after the instigator of the fight was identified so other students would learn that there are consequences to their actions. She said she hopes other students won't stand by and let something like this happen again.
"There's so many aspects of how disturbing this is," she said regarding the video of the altercation. "It's the kids. It's this girl attacking. It's the dozens of kids that are high-fiving, cheering her on, videotaping. It's so disturbing."
-- Christian Trujano
In other news
* More than $3 million worth of cannabis, along with cash and guns, were confiscated from an unlicensed indoor cultivation operation in Livermore as part of a joint law enforcement investigation involving state and city agencies earlier this month.
No arrests have been made to date, although one person was detained and subsequently released from custody as part of the ongoing investigation, according to authorities.
"Illegal cannabis is tied to violent crime in our communities, harmful pesticides, and environmental damage and today's action represents an important step in our efforts to tackle the illegal market," said Bill Jones, chief of the California Department of Cannabis Control's Law Enforcement Division -- the agency that licenses and regulates cannabis businesses in the state.
"(The) successful enforcement action in Livermore resulted in over 2,400 pounds of illegal cannabis being seized," Jones added.
The investigation involved the state's Department of Cannabis Control and Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with the Livermore Police Department.
The agencies served multiple search warrants on Jan. 10 at an unlicensed marijuana grow operation inside a warehouse in an industrial part of Livermore. Cannabis Control officials declined to publicly specify where the commercial warehouse was located, citing the ongoing investigation.
As a result of the search, authorities reported seizing 3,460 cannabis plants valued at $2,140,875 and 683.1 pounds of processed cannabis flower valued at $1,127,115, along with $46,888 in cash, two handguns and one assault rifle.
-- Jeremy Walsh
* A driver died in a rollover crash on East Airway Boulevard in Livermore on Saturday afternoon, according to city police.
The Livermore Police Department responded to the intersection of Airway and Rutan Drive just before 2 p.m. Saturday on reports of a serious traffic collision. The driver of a Toyota Yaris lost control of his car and it overturned several times, police said.
Officers arrived to find the driver -- a 39-year-old man from Livermore whose name has not yet been released publicly -- suffering from significant injuries. He was later pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Police said they are investigating whether speed and drugs or alcohol were factors in the daytime crash. Toxicology testing results are pending.
The investigation and cleanup at the scene caused the intersection to be closed for more than four hours on Saturday. Police provided updates on the post-crash road closure on Saturday via social media but did not confirm the fatality involved until Monday morning.
-- Jeremy Walsh
* The San Ramon Police Department is probing the circumstances surrounding the death of a young man who was found in the common area of an apartment complex in the Dougherty Valley last Friday.
Limited details are available publicly, but detectives consider the case to be a suspicious death, according to Acting Capt. Tami Williams.
Officers were dispatched on a medical call just before 9 a.m. Friday to an apartment complex on Crestfield Drive. A man in his early 20s was ultimately pronounced dead, according to Williams.
"The preliminary investigation is pointing to opioids being involved. As always, we will need to wait for the coroner's report for more information," Williams told the Weekly. "Due to the ongoing investigation, I do not have any other available details at this time."
-- Jeremy Walsh
This story contains 1063 words.
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