Tough Steps Show Results: UFT Head Backs Random Searches

Tough Steps Show Results
UFT Head Backs Random Searches

United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten praised Mayor Bloomberg's announcement last week that the city will use metal detectors at city middle and high schools to conduct random searches of students for weapons. "Random screening across the city is a very important first step," Ms. Weingarten said in an April 13 statement. "It's also essential to make sure that codes of conduct are genuinely enforced so that a few disruptive kids aren't able to prevent all the other students from getting the best education possible."

RANDI WEINGARTEN: Need strict enforcement.

'Impact' Crime Down

The Mayor also announced that crime was down across the board in the city's 11 Impact Schools, facilities that received that designation because of particularly high incidences of crime. The Impact Schools have registered a 59-percent decrease in major crime, a 43-percent drop in violent crime and a 33-percent reduction in overall crime during the current school year through the beginning of April.

As a result of the progress, four schools were removed from the list. Two schools were added, however, bringing the total to nine.

"The Impact schools initiative has worked and crime continues to decline at these schools even after being removed from the Impact list," Mayor Bloomberg said at an April 13 news conference. "Now we'll build on what works. New and innovative safety initiatives like our mobile scanning program will send the message that attempts to bring weapons into our schools will not be tolerated and serve as a system-wide deterrent to bringing contraband into schools."

Ms. Weingarten said that progress in Impact Schools was not a surprise, given the amount of attention paid to them. Her concern was with the vast majority of the city's schools not covered by the program.

"About a month ago, we met with city and DOE officials and expressed our concern about crime in non-impact schools - particularly the junior high schools," Ms. Weingarten said. "We called for new safety initiatives and for consistent enforcement of school discipline codes. For example, we get almost daily reports of incidents at I.S. 296 in Brooklyn, a lot of complaints about I.S. 8 in Queens, and we are seeing more guns, knives and other weapons appearing in and around middle and high schools."