General News
Educators’ role in school safety discussed at chapter leader workshop
Dec 6, 2007 12:01 PM
Phyllis Murray of PS 75, the Bronx, has a question for Chief James Secreto.
Chapter leaders from every borough attended an Election Day workshop at UFT headquarters on one of the most critical areas impacting teaching and learning: school safety.
Chief James Secreto of the police department’s School Safety Division told them that together with school safety agents, the NYPD and school administrators, educators are key members of a team that can help prevent violence, defuse conflicts and create a secure environment for the entire school community.
Teamwork can be an elusive goal, he said, especially if there are turf disputes, ego clashes or principals who sweep problems under the rug out of fear that accurate statistics may cause their schools to be suddenly designated “persistently dangerous.”
UFT President Randi Weingarten said there needs to be “a full and complete use of every available means of support to protect every child and adult in every school. There can be no excuse or tolerance of failure.”
Lois M. Williams of IS 166, the Bronx, discusses a safety issue with UFT President Randi Weingarten.
Teachers expressed frustration about some of the safety issues they have experienced on the job. For instance, if they break up a fight to save students from getting injured and in doing this get hurt themselves, they should not be denied an injury-in-the-line-of-duty claim due to their action not being authorized as part of their job description.
And if their intervention involves making physical contact, they shouldn’t have to worry that they may be sent to a “rubber room” because a disgruntled combatant complained that a teacher laid a hand on him.
Some teachers claimed that their schools’ safety agents refuse to break up classroom brawls, although they are required to do it. Others commended their agents for stepping in swiftly and effectively in volatile situations.
Michael Mulgrew, UFT vice president for career and technical education, emphasized: “Success is linked to partnership. Communication must be ongoing and open. Don’t let even a petty dispute split the team.”
Every school is mandated to have a safety plan and a safety committee that monitors conditions and develops and implements strategies to deal with threats. Although the chapter leader is a signatory of the plan, some said they feel marginalized by principals who try to manipulate the committee.
Emergencies are, by definition, not routine, yet educators must confront them often. As recent tragic news stories have shown, there have been times when conscience and common sense appear to have conflicted with school policy. Chief Secreto plainly stated that teachers may directly call 911. They do not need the consent of a supervisor.
Secreto also reminded the chapter leaders that determination of whether an arrest is appropriate is made by school safety agents or police officers.
Last year, as a result of mandatory screening at high-risk high schools, the NYPD recovered 24 guns, 114 pellet guns, and 670 other weapons, he noted. Teachers voiced regret, but did not dispute the need for such screening.
“Creating optimal safety conditions is a work in progress in every school. We in the union are always available to help,” said UFT violence prevention trainer Linda Vila-Passione.
Gail Kramer, senior coordinator of the union’s safety committee in Brooklyn, assured the chapter leaders that “you are a primary resource to protect your school communities and we stand solidly behind you at all times.”
Chapter leaders find reason to smile during the workshop.
