The NYC Department of Education (DOE) has responded to remarks made by a representative of the NYC Schools Safety Coalition, Mona Davids, in the wake of a face slashing which took place at Bronx Collaborative High School on Wednesday. Sept. 15, after a dispute broke out between two students.

 

As reported, an unidentified, 15-year-old student was slashed in the face with an unknown object on the school premises at DeWitt school campus, located in Jerome Park, while another student fled to parts unknown. EMS transported the victim to Montefiore Hospital in stable condition. Police confirmed on Tuesday, Sept. 21, that a 15-year-old male was arrested on Sept. 20 in relation to the incident and has been charged with assault.

 

As reported, the incident raised questions among students and others as to how the as yet, unidentified weapon used in the assault passed through the school’s security detectors, and reignited an ongoing debate across the City over the future role of school safety agents (SSAS).

 

Some youth organizations like the local, Bronx-based group, Sistas & Brothas United, the youth arm of the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition, have long called for restorative justice measures to be implemented to resolve conflicts in schools, in place of instating more school safety agents, as reported. They would also like to see the funding that goes towards the NYPD budget for school safety agents to be spent on other support services for students instead, cutting the NYPD’s budget in the process.

 

On Sunday, Sept. 19, DOE confirmed to Norwood News that 5,000 school safety agents would be transferred from oversight by the NYPD to the DOE, by June 2022, which implies the NYPD’s budget for those 5,000 salaries would indeed be reduced.

 

However, Mona Davids of the NYC School Safety Coalition, a group in favor of keeping school safety agents under the control of the NYPD, said this transfer will not happen under future mayoral leadership. Citing an alleged promise by Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, Eric Adams, during a prior, virtual forum with the group, Inform NYC, Davids said Adams committed to maintaining the agents under the control of the NYPD.

 

Norwood News reached out to both Adams’ campaign for a response to Davids’ comments. We did not receive an immediate response. We also asked the DOE about the matter, given that as reported, and as Davids also mentioned, the mayor ultimately has control of the City’s educational policy.

 

On Monday, Sept. 20, the DOE provided the following response, adding that, in their view, Davids’ comments, as reported, appeared to be aimed more at activist groups rather than at the DOE. “Creating schools that are safe and welcoming for all students is at the core of this Administration’s work, and we have made important changes to drive record decreases in police interventions, arrests, suspensions, and the system-wide adoption of restorative justice practices,” Nathaniel Styer, DOE deputy press secretary, told the Norwood News.

 

“All students must return to healing-centered schools this fall, and we are hiring over 500 new social workers and adding over 100 more community schools to ensure every student has a caring adult to go to when in crisis,” he added.

 

Agency officials compared the first, three quarters of 2016-17 with that of 2019-20. They said that overall, NYPD interventions in DOE schools have decreased by 5 percent, with arrests declining 60 percent and summonses declining by 80 percent. They said that the decreases came as the DOE launched a city-wide restorative justice and mental health initiative, and made changes to the disciplinary code, transitioning schools away from punitive practices.

 

DOE officials said that, in June 2020, the mayor announced that school safety agents would begin to transition back from NYPD oversight to being under the control of the DOE once again. The agents were brought under the control of the NYPD during the Giuliani administration. They said that the transition ensures that SSAs are fully aligned with DOE training and values when it comes to caring for students in crisis, deescalating situations, and ensuring that students get the mental health support they need when they need it.

 

Agency representatives said that in the spring of 2021, SSAs began intensive training with the DOE in conflict resolution/mediation, restorative justice, and implicit bias, and that all new SSA agents will go through this intensive course. The goal of transitioning SSAs back to the DOE, they said, is specifically focused on ensuring that SSAs are deeply integrated into the school community, are aligned with the school’s social-emotional work, and are true partners of educators, parents, and students in ensuring the wellness of the entire community.

 

“We are on track to transition SSA agents back to the DOE by June 2022,” agency officials said. “Four transition committees met weekly throughout this school year to create policy recommendations to ensure there is a smooth transition in June 2022, which remains the goal.”

 

In April 2021, they said the mayor and the schools chancellor announced what was described as an historic investment in the social-emotional health of students and school-based mental health by adding over 500 new social workers, 100 new school psychologists, and over 100 new community schools.

 

Additionally, they said social-emotional screeners were expanded for use in all DOE schools, which they said will help school staff in identifying students who need additional support prior to a crisis developing. “We are well on our way to hiring social workers for the first day of school,” DOE officials said.

 

According to the DOE, this expansion was built on the work launched at the beginning of the pandemic to respond to the trauma experienced by both students and staff. Over 75,000 staff members were trained in trauma responsive educational practices (TREP), that build adult capacity to recognize signs and symptoms of trauma, strengthen community, foster resilience, proactively support student needs, and respond appropriately when students require additional support.

 

Additionally, they said the DOE and NYC Health + Hospitals began to partner to link schools in 26 neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID-19 with mental health clinics, where children and adolescents can receive ongoing therapy, psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and other clinical services. Additionally, the City moved to transform school mental health consultants, who previously worked with schools to develop mental health plans and capacity, into providers of direct, clinical, mental health care in 350 schools within those 26 neighborhoods.

 

DOE officials concluded by saying that, in 2019, the agency also began the work of creating healing-centered schools through major investments in social-emotional learning and mental health with the goal of transforming and transitioning the culture of City schools towards guaranteeing that every student has a caring adult to go when they need help and support. They said these initial investments became the foundation for both lowering the number of suspensions, and responding to the mental health crisis caused by COVID-19.

 

Norwood News has reached out to both Davids and to a representative from Sistas & Brothas United / Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition for their views on DOE’s feedback on the matter. We will update this story upon receipt of any response.

 

In the meantime, as reported, one local parent who spoke with the Norwood News about the slashing incident on condition of anonymity, said he and his wife have still not been properly informed by Bronx Collaborative High School about what had actually occurred on Wednesday at the school. As reported, the parent cited a letter, a copy of which is included in our previous story, sent by the founding principal, Brett Schneider in response to the incident, but said the letter was vague on the details of what had actually occurred. Norwood News has asked the DOE for a comment on this matter.

 

On Tuesday, Sept. 21, several media outlets reported on separate stabbing which occurred the same day at around 2.30 p.m. when at least eight people were hurt in a bizarre series of events that reportedly involved a car crash and a knife fight outside Harry S. Truman High School on Baychester Avenue in Co-Op City.

 

During an interview on Inside City Hall with broadcaster and host, Errol Louis, in late October 2021, Mayor Bill De Blasio addressed the SSA point, saying, “Look, clearly, I thought that they were doing well under the NYPD. The City Council really wanted to make a change. I worked with them on a plan where we all had to come together and find common ground.”

 

He added, “But we agreed to a two-year transition. That was something I was adamant about, to give us time to do it the right way. And to make sure the kids and the whole school community were safe. In the meantime, of course, Eric Adams has been elected mayor and everything I’ve heard him say suggests he thinks that they should continue in the NYPD. So, that will obviously ultimately be his decision.”

 

Editor’s Note: If you are a student or a parent of a student at any of the schools on DeWitt school campus or at any other school and would like to provide a comment, please reach out to us at smoloney@norwoodnews.org, via the Norwood News Twitter Direct Message function, or via Norwood News Messenger app, and we can give you a call. Thank you.