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Adams tells school principals to meet weekly with NYPD to boost safety
By
Jessica Gould
Published Feb 14, 2023
Modified Feb 14, 2023
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By
Jessica Gould
Published Feb 14, 2023
Modified Feb 14, 2023
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Mayor Eric Adams told principals on Tuesday to hold weekly meetings with police commanders in an effort to get ahead of school safety threats.
The rare Zoom teleconference between the mayor and school leaders from the system’s roughly 1,600 campuses follows a spate of shootings near schools in recent months.
The mayor encouraged the principals to report concerns or incidents to the NYPD, and emphasized that they would not be “penalized” for doing so, according to attendees who described the meeting. Adams also said NYPD commanders should have principals’ personal cell numbers.
The meeting lasted about 20 minutes and also featured Schools Chancellor David Banks, according to principals who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it.
“The safety and well-being of all of our students is our absolute top priority,” said education department spokesperson Jenna Lyle in a statement. “We appreciate the NYPD for taking this step to ensure our young people are safe when traveling to and from schools, and in their communities.”
Just a few hours after the meeting, a teenager and 58-year-old man were shot in East New York, blocks from JHS 292 Margaret S. Douglas in East New York, Brooklyn. A police spokesperson did not have information on whether the 16-year-old victim attended the nearby school.
The plan to increase communication between the NYPD and school leaders comes amid a series of violent incidents just outside campuses and an alarming number of weapons found in schools.
At a budget hearing last week, Banks told state lawmakers that the recent violence is “heart-wrenching” and keeps him up at night. A few hours later, two teenage students and a security guard were shot outside of Williamsburg Charter High School in Brooklyn. All three survived. It was the second shooting near the school in three months. In December, a 15-year-old boy allegedly shot a teen girl in the leg outside the school, according to the Daily News.
In January, teens were also shot outside schools in Coney Island and Cambria Heights in Queens. As of last week, police had seized nearly 3,000 weapons at schools this school year.
In line with his overall focus on public safety, Adams has made school security one of his top education priorities. His proposed budget calls for adding $47.5 million for school safety measures. The education department is also piloting a new door-locking system for the front doors of school buildings. Currently, all doors at schools are supposed to be locked – except for front doors.
The administration has also launched a violence interruption effort called Project Pivot, rolling out new mentoring, career counseling, and recreational programs at 138 city schools.
School safety is one of the few areas, alongside dyslexia programs, where Adams plans to significantly increase investments.
Multiple principals said Adams' new directives seemed vague, and added that it was not immediately clear what resources police would offer. Some school communities also oppose an increased police presence.
One principal said the administration should not have required budget cuts last year that forced some school leaders to slash the arts, sports and mental health programs that keep students engaged.
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education
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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