Results tagged “schoolsafety”

Volunteers for the New York Civil Liberties Union are present in some 20 public high schools this week to educate students on their rights when interacting with school safety agents and police officers. Students at select schools with metal detectors, high suspension rates and a heavy police presence are being handed cards [pdf] telling them when and how to object to searches. According to the cards, if a student feels "disrespected," that's enough of a basis to lodge a formal complaint against school safety officers. The NYCLU has been arguing that schools are relying too heavily on the NYPD to enforce school discipline, but according to the Post, critics think the group is "creating a confrontational tone" at the start of the school year. And City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., chairman of the public-safety committee, growls, "It's ridiculous to give children the impression that police are the enemy. Kids only need to know one word when it comes to the police and that's 'cooperate.' " But familiarity with words like "bend" and "over" might also come in handy.

NYPD has announced that it will launch a pilot program to test out the use of velcro handcuffs to use on students in schools. Spokesman Paul Browne told the Daily News, "We would prefer never to use restraints of any kind, but in those rare instances where it may become necessary, we want a softer alternative to conventional handcuffs." A year ago, a family filed a $15 million lawsuit against the city after 5-year Dennis Rivera was (steel) handcuffed to a chair after allegedly attacking a teacher at PS 81 in Ridgewood, Queens. PS 81 is one of the 22 schools that will be included in the pilot program. Rivera's father said of the program, "They could be made of teddy bear material, but they still would be handcuffs. It is still police tactics on children who have committed no crime." The police say that the softer cuffs would only be used in rare cases where a student (age 15 or younger) needs to be restrained to protect himself or herself, or other children.

Yesterday afternoon, a 16-year-old boy was stabbed by another student on the third floor of I.S. 49, which is on Graham Avenue in Williamsburg. The school was on lockdown for over 2 hours and a suspect was arrested. NY1 reports, "After parents were allowed to pick up their children, they still remained concerned about their long-term safety in the school, claiming that the school lacks basic security measures like metal detectors." However, the school tried to reassure them, with a letter stating, "I want to assure you that this was an isolated incident. Fights and altercations of similar nature rarely occur." The victim, who attends the Green School for Environmental Careers located inside I.S. 49, is in stable condition at Bellevue.

School security at Staten Island's Dreyfus Intermediate School was on the alert for a possible water balloon prank, but they ended up finding a student carrying a 9mm gun and a magazine clip. Darren Rivera, 14, was charged as an adult with gun possession.