Task force advises specific actions to keep New York schools safe in the 21st Century
Lt Governor Mary O. Donohue, Chair of the Governor’s Task Force on School Violence, unveiled a comprehensive series of recommendations October 7th, aimed at preventing violence in New York’s schools.
"Our state’s future hinges on our ability to provide our children with a solid education," Lt. Governor Donohue said. "Too often though, violence interferes with a child’s willingness and ability to learn. We can and must eliminate violence to create a safe climate for both teaching and learning."
Highlights of the plan include requiring civility, citizenship and character education in the classrooms, instituting fingerprinting and violence prevention training for all school employees statewide and as a prerequisite for certification by the Education Department (SED), offering a statewide clearinghouse, the New York Center for School Safety, beginning a new statewide school violence incident reporting system, providing school districts with alternatives for suspended students, strengthening laws concerning the reporting of illicit conduct between students and school employees and permitting information-sharing among schools and agencies involved in the juvenile justice system.
The recommendations build upon Governor Pataki’s 17-point plan, Project SAVE, (Safe Schools Against Violence in Education).
The plan is the product of several months of statewide public hearings, school visits, one-on-one sessions with high school and middle school students and a series of Task Force meetings. It addresses issues Governor Pataki directed the Task Force to study when he unveiled his Project SAVE plan in late April.
"I am pleased to present the Governor and the citizens of New York with a comprehensive, common sense plan of action that will go a long way toward making our schools ever safer," said Lt. Governor Donohue, a former district attorney, state supreme court judge and teacher. "Governor Pataki has made the safety of New York’s children the highest priority." Task Forces plan builds on the Governors initiatives and will enhance what we are already doing at schools and communities across the state.
Recommendations by the Task Force includes a call for a comprehensive School Safety Planning: require school districts to establish school safety teams to develop and adopt safety plans and emergency response plans; require plans to be filed with the Commissioner of Education within 30 days of adoption; require evaluation of the plans by the Education Department, the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the State Police to ensure updated techniques and initiatives.
Also in the package is an plan for alternatives to suspension of pupils: provide school districts with additional authority to implement a broader range of sanctions for violations of school policies in order to make disciplinary actions more effective Sanctions may include creating alternative settings for students who are disruptive and pose a threat to the safety of themselves and others, requiring community service and other supervised activities in addition or as an alternative to suspension and requiring counseling for students.
Ted W. Peterson, a Task Force member and Principal of Poughkeepsie High School stated, "As members of the school community, the Task Force’s recommendations that mandate school safety teams, crisis planning and safety training for teachers and staff are huge steps toward safe learning places and a productive school environment.
Sandy Sunderland, a parent and task force member, stated, "At a time when pressure from terrified parents and school communities has resulted nationwide in knee jerk reactions, this report recognizes that school violence is in reality a community-wide problem It carefully defines and outlines methods of preventing violence by education and creating awareness of the precipitating factors by establishing more hospitable and appropriate environments for the education and supervision of all of our children and youth."
"These comprehensive recommendations serve as a solid step toward ensuring that New York’s schools remain safe into the 21st century," the Lt. Governor said. "I want to thank the many talented people who served on the task force, as well as the students, teachers and administrators whose testimony played an important role in developing these recommendations."
Copies of the report can be obtained by contacting the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, New York State Capitol, Albany, NY 12224, or by downloading the document from the web at www.state.ny.us/govenor/ltgov/report.
