With grand larceny in schools up 15 percent in the 2013–14 school year over the previous year, UFT and NYPD school safety officials are asking school staffers to take some simple preventive measures to protect their personal property.

UFT Director of Safety and Health Jeff Povalitis said smartphones, laptops, wallets and pocketbooks are the prime targets of petty thieves. He advised UFT members to secure these items, never leave them unattended and be sure to report any thefts.

A former chapter leader and member of his school’s safety committee, Povalitis warned school staffers not to take the safety of their personal items or school equipment for granted. He called on everyone to share responsibility for maintaining the safety of the school by checking that doors are closed and locked when leaving a classroom or the school building.

Already this year, Povalitis said, a Bronx school has reported the theft of $400 in cash from teachers by thieves believed to have entered the building through an unlocked door.

“School safety agents work very hard to maintain a safe environment, but we have to do our part, too,” he said.

Alfred Woodhall, the new chapter leader of School Safety Supervisors, a chapter that the UFT represents, notes that sometimes staff feel so comfortable at school that they carelessly leave a cell phone or other valuables on their desks and then leave the room unlocked when they leave.

He reported that more than half of all city schools now have video surveillance cameras with more coming on line. He noted that a surveillance camera at a Queens school was responsible for the recent arrest of the thief who stole the principal’s bicycle from his office, which had been left open for cleaning.

Assistant Chief Brian Conroy, who commands the New York City Police Department’s School Safety Division, said his more than 5,000 school safety agents and more than 200 uniformed police officers “work hard to make sure that schools are safe and secure environments where students can learn.” In addition, he said, every school is required to have a safety committee that is responsible for creating and annually updating a school safety plan designed to meet the specific needs of the school.