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UFT Testimony

Testimony regarding local legislation on school safety agents

UFT Testimony

Written testimony of the United Federation of Teachers for the New York City Council Committee on Education regarding local legislation on school safety agents


The United Federation of Teachers (UFT), representing close to 200,000 working men and women in the City of New York would like thank Chair Mark Treyger and all members of the Committee on Education for holding a hearing on a legislative package of four introductions on school safety agents.

First, we’d like to state that we firmly believe that we must continuously strive to reduce the interactions our students have with law enforcement, and must actively work to instead provide students and staff members the adequate resources they need to appropriately de-escalate tense behavioral situations.

Our commitment is present in, for example, our Positive Learning Collaborative and United Community Schools programs. Through these programs we have brought in social workers, behavioral specialists, and counselors to dozens of schools across the five boroughs. However, we know that school climate challenges extend beyond the schools our programs serve and understand the need to better equip safety personnel in our schools.

As we seek to transition School Safety Agents from the NYPD to the DOE, we think it’s important to consider an already overwhelmed DOE and create a system of checks and balances for the new system. Our proposal is for our city government to create a third-party entity comprised of key stakeholders that can receive and review complaints that arise from reported behavioral confrontations in schools during both the transition and once the new system is in place.

It’s important that we not allow any one given agency, in this case the DOE, to hold itself accountable. Self-policing and self-accountability are never a best practice, especially when related to disciplinary infractions. With a third-party entity or board to review and resolve complaints, we can ensure a more just and fairer outcome to school disciplinary issues.

We look forward to working with the City Council and the administration as we seek to improve the climate in all schools. We are committed to our students, their safety, and their social, emotional, and academic growth.