| Releases
& Statements
For Release: February
15, 2007
Contact: Frank Sobrino, Press Secretary
O: (212) 669-4193
Gotbaum
Report Calls DOE School Safety Reporting Into Question
A survey released today by Public
Advocate Betsy Gotbaum calls into question the accuracy of the
Department of Education’s school incident data and finds
that only one in four principals and other school administrators
of the 158 who responded to the survey believe they receive adequate
resources to effectively handle school safety incidents.
For the 2004-05 school year, the Department
of Education reported that only eight of the school system’s
nearly 1,400 schools experienced 181 or more safety incidents.
By contrast, administrators at 16 schools that responded to Gotbaum’s
survey experienced 181 or more school safety incidents during
that same year. For the 2005-06 school year, Gotbaum’s survey
found that the number of schools that experienced 181 or more
incidents jumped to 18.
School safety incidents are defined
as either a major crime, such as grand larceny, other crimes,
such as theft or assault, and non-criminal incidents, such as
cursing.
“The spike in crime and other
incidents in our schools, coupled with what I’ve been hearing
from principals and other administrators—that they lack
the resources to effectively deal with behavior problems in their
schools—is a cause of great concern,” Gotbaum said.
Gotbaum’s other findings include:
• 17 administrators surveyed
reported increases in superintendent suspensions from the 2004-2005
to the 2005-2006 school year.
• Only 23 percent of school
administrators believe that they receive the necessary resources
to effectively handle school safety incidents.
• Only 34 percent of all respondents
believe that DOE school safety policy creates an atmosphere that
is conducive to teaching and learning. Only 28 percent of high
school administrator respondents believe this.
• Only 9 percent of all respondents
believe that students who return from superintendent suspensions
are academically prepared to return.
• 8 percent of all respondents
believe that students who return from superintendent suspensions
are well-behaved.
• 98 percent of high school
administrators report that “a few” teachers, or no
teachers at all, in their schools have received any conflict education/resolution
training.
• 82 percent of administrators
at all levels report that “a few” teachers, or no
teachers at all, have received conflict education/resolution training.
“We can’t expect teachers
to teach or students to learn in an environment in which they
fear for their safety,” Gotbaum said. “If ‘teaching
and learning’ is to be more than just a slogan, we must
expand conflict resolution training for school staff.”
The Public Advocate made these recommendations:
• The DOE must solicit the input
of teachers, students, principals, parents, community-based organizations,
and other stakeholders in the development of school safety policies
that are conducive to teaching and learning.
• The DOE, in conjunction with
the Office of Management and Budget, should list all school safety
budget allocations as line items in the city budget, including
items such as Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act (SAVE)
provisions.
• The DOE must ensure that all
schools have “time-out” or SAVE rooms on-site for
disruptive students, as required by state law.
• The DOE must substantially
enhance the role of conflict education and resolution programming
in schools and make training for teachers and administrators mandatory.
“The DOE must provide the resources
needed to ensure a safe environment for students and school staff,”
Gotbaum said. “School safety must be a top priority.”
* * *
Between
Policy and Reality: School Administrators Critical of Department
of Education School Safety Policy (PDF) February 2007
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