Urges Violence Prevention
Gotbaum: Tough Not Enough for Schools
By MEREDITH KOLODNER

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum last week sharply criticized the city's school safety policies, claiming a "get-tough" approach that emphasizes punishment over prevention isn't working.

BESTY GOTBAUM: 'Policing, not protecting.'

She asserted that the Department of Education was "failing to give students" the tools they need to peacefully resolve conflicts. A report issued by her office found that a majority of 35 city-based nonprofit conflict resolution groups believe current school policies do not create a safe environment conducive to teaching. They also agree that training for Teachers and administrators is inadequate.

Department of Education officials said they collaborate with hundreds of community groups to provide "extensive" conflict resolution training to schools.

Union: Only Goes So Far

Union leaders representing School Safety Agents said they agreed with many aspects of the report, but emphasized that conflict resolution was not always sufficient.

"I would increase the prevention," said Gregory Floyd, the president of Teamsters Local 237, "but at the same time keep the same level of policing. As we see prevention is working, then we can scale back, but not until then."

GREGORY FLOYD: Crackdown effective.

The report recommends hiring full-time school counselors to work with students and families in a pilot program in a select number of schools. The report's authors also suggested that as an alternative, a Teacher with certification in conflict resolution could act as the advisor and receive a stipend for his or her work.

"The problem is that [DOE's] general philosophy is one of policing rather than protecting," said Ms. Gotbaum's spokesman, John Collins.

DOE Differs

But DOE officials rejected that claim. "Students are taught negotiation and conflict-resolution skills to help them talk out conflicts before mediation becomes necessary," a DOE statement read. "These techniques are used for the prevention of problems, not merely when something has gone wrong."

Mr. Collins noted that Ms. Gotbaum wanted to work with the DOE to re-orient the city's school safety policies and argued the new approach could be more cost effective.

"It's like with health care," Mr. Collins said, "where each dollar spent on prevention is worth 30 dollars for emergency care."

Ms. Gotbaum also called for a new Conflict Resolution Office to act as a clearinghouse and evaluate existing conflict-resolution policies. She said that DOE should set up a school safety planning committee, with city officials, Teacher and Principal union representatives and parent groups, to advise Schools Chancellor Joel Klein on student emotional health and school safety.

Mr. Floyd argued for School Safety Agents to be included in any new formation.

'Why Leave Us Out?'

"I know we can be helpful because we have direct contact with the students," said Mr. Floyd. "I am concerned that we were left out of the plan."

Ms. Gotbaum's report noted that DOE has increased its school safety budget by more than $20 million over the past three years, but argues that existing conflict resolution programs are being used "as a way of punishing disciplinary infractions rather than preventing them."

The Mayor's Preliminary Management Report released in February showed a 21-percent increase in felony crimes committed in the city's schools between July and October 2006 compared with the same period the previous year. Most of that increase was due to a rise in stealing high-priced items like computer laptops and other electronic devices.

The Mayor's report found the number of assaults stayed steady at 52 for both periods of time, but the UFT reported an increase in the first part of the school year, using a new on-line reporting system.

Assaults Doubled?

According to the reports from Teachers, assaults rose from 321 to 704, physical harassment cases grew from 398 to 668 and reckless endangerment increased from 485 to 536 between September 2006 and February 2007 when compared to the same period a year earlier.

Mr. Floyd said that his members have not seen an increase in offenses, and added that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing if students felt the presence of law-enforcement.

"If they're complaining about too much policing, it means it's working," said Mr. Floyd. "As long as children are not being arrested for petty crimes and are not getting permanent criminal records, we're doing the right thing. Children will take advantage if they perceive that the policing is being scaled back."