Hundreds of staff and students from Curtis and Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education high schools on Staten Island, along with parents and community members, participated in a walk against violence on Nov. 26 in response to two gun-related incidents in September.

The action, called the Walk Against Violence on the Safe Corridor, was the brainchild of the two high schools’ UFT Chapter Action Teams, which have been active this fall in addressing school safety concerns.

“We are here today, united and committed to keeping our schools, students and our community safe,” Curtis HS Chapter Leader Chris Alena told the crowd assembled outside the gates of his school, which is about a quarter mile from McKee HS. “This is the first of many efforts we are planning to raise awareness around safety.”

The demonstrators, who were escorted by members of the NYPD and school safety officers, walked from Curtis, past Lt. Lia Park and McKee HS and down the NYPD’s designated “safety corridor” toward the Bay Street bus shelters many students use to travel to and from school.

Within a two-day period in September, a good Samaritan notified Curtis staff that a 17-year-old student had brought a loaded gun to school, and a McKee HS student shot a 17-year-old Curtis HS student in the leg in Lt. Lia Park, across from McKee. Students from both schools regularly assemble in the park.

“This walk is so important for the idea of education, letting our kids know that there’s a safe passage, that there’s a corridor that they can walk peacefully down and get home,” McKee Chapter Leader Charles Donohue said.

Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon, who participated in the walk, promised the students that his staff and the local police would do everything they could to ensure their safety.

Some of the improvements the Chapter Action Teams are seeking are more cameras in blind spots inside and outside buildings, front-door cameras, increased police presence along the corridor, and more anti-violence programs and mental health counseling. The chapter leaders presented these potential solutions at the safety town hall held at each school in October.

Students who attended the rally spoke about their safety concerns when they’re going to and from school, including the September gun incidents, a recent fight among students at the nearby Empire Outlets and a situation last year in which a man with a machete chased students in the neighborhood.

Jordan, a Curtis senior and student council member, said many students participate in extracurricular activities and could be at school until 6 or 7 p.m. Students are most vulnerable at these times, especially in the fall and winter when it gets dark early, he said.

Don Manzo, a special education teacher at McKee HS, said the walk was a way of building connections with the community.

“I think the students get to feel more of a sense of safety and security,” he said, “now that they get to be involved and see their teachers here along with their school leaders and their family members.”