A recent headline in the Independent regarding a shooting on West Figueroa Street prominently highlighted a suspect’s former status as an “Alternative Education Student of the Month.” While we recognize the media’s role in reporting local crime, the decision to lead with this student’s high school history, years after the fact, compels us to speak out on behalf of the schools and students we serve.
As educators and school leaders, we see firsthand the harm caused when a journalist uses “Alternative Education” as a shorthand for a specific narrative. By framing a criminal arrest around a past school honor, the story reinforces a tired, inaccurate stereotype: that even the highest-achieving students in these programs are somehow defined by future failure.
It is time for Santa Barbara to move past these dated perceptions.
La Cuesta and Alta Vista are not “last resorts.” They are specialized, high-functioning learning environments where students benefit from smaller class sizes, personalized mentorship, and a community that recognizes them as individuals. The youth on our campuses today are artists, leaders, and scholars who have chosen a path that fits their unique ambitions and have become active, positively contributing members of their communities.
When a 20-year-old adult is involved in a crime, their high school accolades from years prior are rarely relevant to the facts of the case. Highlighting the schools in this context does a profound disservice to the hundreds of current students who are doing everything right. It sends a message to our youth that, no matter how hard they work or how many “Student of the Month” awards they earn, the community may still see them only through the lens of a label.
The work happening at our Alternative Education sites is rigorous and vital. Our staff works tirelessly to ensure every student is prepared to make a positive mark on the world. This mission is something our entire community should get behind and support, rather than undermine with sensationalized framing.
We invite the community to visit Alta Vista and La Cuesta and see the great work happening on our campuses. You will find a community defined by excellence, intentionality, and a shared commitment to the future. Our students deserve to be defined by their own bright trajectories, not by stereotypes.
Dr. Hilda Maldonado is superintendent of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Carlos Cohen is principal of La Cuesta and Alta Vista Alternative Education Schools, Ed Zuchelli is chief of communications for SBUSD.
