New York City public schools have only had two full weeks of school yet four guns have been found in one week and multiple fights and melees have happened in schools throughout the city.
All four guns have been found in schools that are severely understaffed by School Safety Agents and do not have metal detector scanning to identify weapons.
On Friday, September 20th, School Safety Agents found a loaded gun on a 16-year-old student at the Percy E. Sutton Educational Complex in Harlem.
On Thursday, September 19th, a 17-year-old Curtis High School student was shot in the leg by a student from Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education High School in Staten Island. The shooting occurred at approximately 1 p.m., just 30 minutes after two students at Flushing High School in Queens were caught with guns. Authorities transported the boy to Richmond University Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.
The shooting came on the heels of a separate incident at Flushing High School, where a student became aggressive and threw an object at a School Safety Agent. When authorities searched the student, they discovered a firearm in his possession, prompting a school lockdown. A further search uncovered a second gun in the backpack of a different 17-year-old student. Both students were taken into custody, although no charges were filed as of Thursday afternoon.
Just a day prior, on September 18th, another 17-year-old boy was arrested for bringing a loaded 9mm firearm to Curtis High School. That arrest occurred after the student resisted a bag search by School Safety Agents. Upon inspection, a loaded gun was found in his bag, adding to the growing concerns about weapons being brought onto school campuses.
The rise in gun-related incidents has prompted renewed debate over school safety and the effectiveness of current security measures. City officials and school administrators are facing increased pressure to address the issue of gun violence in schools as the safety of students becomes a top priority.
These incidents underscore the urgent need for stronger preventative measures in schools to ensure the safety of students and staff in New York City public schools.
The New York City School Safety Coalition, which advocates for safe and secure schools for all students, is having an Emergency Virtual Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, September 26th. The coalition has invited Mayor Eric Adams, Schools Chancellor David Banks, and NYPD School Safety Head Tracy Mulet to attend the virtual meeting to address the concerns of parents. City officials regularly attend the coalition town hall meetings. For more information about attending the virtual town hall, go to NYCSchoolSafetyCoalition.com
*Mona Davids is the publisher of New York Voice newspapers and also the founder of the NYC School Safety Coalition. Davids is a well-known, decades-long, education and school safety advocate for students and parents.
