The start of the school year is just around the corner, and as thousands of parents and children of all ages prepare to say “goodbye” to the holidays and return to school, the NYPD and the educational authorities of the Greater Manzana announced the implementation of new measures in the schools, in order to guarantee the safety of students and school personnel in the new cycle.
“Our goal is to protect children,” NYPD Commissioner Edward Cabán said Friday in a meeting with Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks, in which they talked about the preparations for the return to school, and where they were insistent on ensuring that safety will be the priority. Safety and improve reading.
And as part of the changes that will begin to be implemented, from the first day of school, the entrance doors of the 744 elementary schools will be locked, once the students enter and the school day begins. The plan is to later do the same in middle and high schools.
“After the school day begins and the gate closes, anyone who shows up at the school will have to ring, and will be seen by the school security officer at the front gate, through the cameras,” the official said. Commissioner Banks, explaining that they want to prevent children from being at risk and from possible shootings. “They will be able to communicate with them and they will have to present their identification and state the reason for their visit to the school before they can enter.”
Banks mentioned an incident that occurred last year at a Queens school, which was entered by a subject who had just left a clinical unit and when he wanted to enter he was doubled by the security officer and the director of the campus, avoiding damage. “He could have caused all kinds of harm to our children at that school. We want to prevent that from happening in the first place.”
Another of the initiatives together with the police, will be the continuity in the creation of safe corridors to and from the school, so that the students feel protected.
“We want them to feel safe at all times,” said the head of the more than 1,700 public schools in the Big Apple, who incidentally mentioned another strategy that has been carried out in educational centers to help students who have passed due to trauma or often react aggressively. This is an initiative in which New York students will practice two to four minutes of conscious breathing every day, to teach them to remain calm in situations that generate conflict instead of reacting violently.
“It’s a lifelong skill that we want our schools to improve and develop over a period of time and when kids are faced with any level of trauma, they know how to take a deep breath and how to make better decisions before they just react.” , said the official, who incidentally stressed the continuity in the improvements in communication between school directors and police stations.
On a weekly basis, the 1,800 school principals will be meeting via Zoom with officials in local districts to discuss concerns and work as a team.
“We’re not trying to militarize schools or policing our schools too much, what we’re doing is increasing communication levels,” Banks said. “Principals, when they see things going on in their schools, or kids trying to make trouble, they can alert the commanding officer.”
And after learning that the number of security agents, which was reduced from 5,063 to about 3,000 during the pandemic, rose to 4,100 plus an additional 250 that will start in October, Mayor Adams insisted that the main objective of the municipal Administration is to maintain keep children safe, and ensure that shootings do not occur, as has happened in other cities.
Separately, the Mayor announced another new initiative called “Text with Eric,” which sees City Administration communicate directly via text message with New Yorkers about updates and available services, and local policies and events, while also they may write to the Trustee’s Office about concerns.
“Call me, New York, I’m at 917-909-2288,” Mayor Adams said. “We want to hear from you how the city is doing and we want to tell you about all the great things happening in the five boroughs. This is the most approachable administration ever and we are excited to connect with you in so many ways.”
NYPD Commissioner Cabán also mentioned crime in the city, and assured that the rates continue to drop.
“Shooting incidents in five counties decreased by 26%. The result is 193 fewer people injured by gunshots this summer,” Caban said. “(There were) also decreases in murders. So far this year we have had 27 fewer murders throughout the city,” said the Latino police officer.