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  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, AUGUST 20, 2008

 

For More Information Contact:
Jonathan Burman or Tom Dunn at (518) 474-1201
Internet:  http://www.nysed.gov

 

19 Schools Named As “Persistently Dangerous” Under NCLB

 

State Education Commissioner Richard Mills announced today that 19 schools have been identified as “persistently dangerous” under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.  Last year 27 schools were identified. Pursuant to federal requirements, the list of schools is being announced today so that parents can exercise their right of school choice.

“School leaders have responded and as their schools become safer for children they come off the list.  There are fewer schools identified this year and we are glad to see this progress,” State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said. “This fall we will audit safety reporting and will provide additional training statewide.  If we find errors, we will correct them.  If we find underreporting, the list will get longer.  Children must have safe schools.”

“The Regents have made safe schools a priority,” Regents Chancellor Robert M. Bennett said. “We have taken action to help schools become safer.  Site visits have given school leaders a new awareness of the role school safety plays in student achievement.  We support the Commissioner’s plan to audit school safety reporting because accurate data from school districts is essential in making improvements.”

Data for all schools showing all “violent and disruptive incidents” reported by schools in 2006-2007 is also available online at www.nysed.gov.

Schools are designated “persistently dangerous” if they have two successive years of serious incidents that meet or exceed criteria established by the State Education Department.  The years cited on the list are 2006-2007 and 2007-08 for all but two of the schools. Serious incidents include: homicide, forcible and other sexual offenses, robbery, assault resulting in serious physical injury or in physical injury, arson, kidnapping, reckless endangerment, and possession, use or threatened use of a weapon.


The standard is a ratio of violent incidents to enrollment in a school and is determined by the number and type of incidents. Each incident is given a weighting based on the seriousness of the incident. The weightings are added. The result is then divided by enrollment. This yields a numerical index of school violence.

A school is considered “persistently dangerous” if for two consecutive years, it has either:

OR

Eight of the 19 “persistently dangerous” schools are newly named this year; 11 remain from last year. The list of schools is attached.

A total of 16 schools were removed this year from the list of “persistently dangerous” schools, issued last year, because they reported fewer serious incidents. That list is also attached.

The other 49 states last year reported a total of 21 schools as “persistently dangerous.” States set their own criteria for identifying schools.

All schools designated as “persistently dangerous” must provide school choice to students where transfer options exist. Each school also receives financial support and technical assistance to help improve school safety. School districts must also submit to the State Education Department for approval an Incident Reduction Plan for each school to show the specific steps that the district will take to reduce the number of violent incidents and improve safety at the school. Staff from the New York State Center for School Safety and Regional School Support Centers also provide help to each school to improve safety.

A total of 35 schools reported 2006-2007 data that indicated they might be eligible for the list of “persistently dangerous” schools. They were asked to submit 2007-2008 data. Those data were evaluated, and 6 new schools were designated “persistently dangerous.”  Two other schools were designated based on State Education Department site visits and review of previously submitted data.

Schools that have been successful in creating a safer environment for students have adopted one or more of the following strategies:

Commissioner Mills also announced that the State Education Department is taking the following actions to ensure accuracy in reporting of violent and disruptive incidents:

- Review violent and disruptive incident data reported by selected school districts,
- Provide technical assistance that will improve data reports for the fall,
- Identify what additional professional development is needed, and
- Identify further actions that can improve our reporting system.

 

 

Persistently Dangerous Schools
2008-09

 

Persistently Dangerous Schools added this Year (8)

 

School Name

 

School District

 

Year Designated

 

Marta Valle Secondary School

 

NYC Geographic District #1

 

2008-09

 

Middle School for Academic and Social Excellence

 

NYC Geographic District #17

 

2008-09

 

MS 246 Crossroads School

 

NYC Geographic District #3

 

2008-09

 

PS 35 Stephen Decatur

 

NYC Geographic District #16

 

2008-09

 

PS/IS 25 So. Richmond HS

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2008-09

 

Tito Puento Education Complex

 

NYC Geographic District #4

 

2008-09

 

Schenectady HS

 

Schenectady CSD

 

2008-09

 

Little Flower School

 

Little Flower UFSD

 

2008-09

 

Persistently Dangerous Schools Carried Over from Previous Years (11)

 

School Name

 

School District

 

Year Designated

 

PS 94

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

PS 169 Robert F. Kennedy School

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

School 723

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

PS 140

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

P 368

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

PS 9 Walter Reed School

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

PS 12 Lewis and Clark School

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

PS 14-Cornelius Vanderbilt School

 

NYC Geographic District #31

 

2007-08

 

JHS 44 William J. O’Shea

 

NYC Geographic District #3

 

2007-08

 

Powell Middle School for Law and Social Justice

 

NYC Geographic District #5

 

2007-08

 

Berkshire  Junior-Senior HS

 

Berkshire UFSD

 

2006-07

 

Persistently Dangerous Schools Successfully Petitioning to be Removed from the List (16)

 

School Name

 

School District

 

Year First Designated

 

PS 811m-Mickey Mantle School

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

PS 17

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

JM Rapport School for Career Development

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

PS/MS 36

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

Queens School for Career Development 752

 

NYC Special Schools-District # 75

 

2007-08

 

NYC GENERAL EDUCATION

 

 

 

American Sign Language & English School

 

NYC Geographic District #2

 

2007-08

 

South Bronx Academy for Applied Media

 

NYC Geographic District #7

 

2007-08

 

Academy of Public Relations

 

NYC Geographic District #7

 

2007-08

 

PS 399

 

NYC Geographic District #10

 

2007-08

 

MS 571

 

NYC Geographic District #13

 

2007-08

 

MS 2

 

NYC Geographic District #17

 

2007-08

 

Samuel J. Tilden High School

 

NYC Geographic District #18

 

2007-08

 

PS 90 Edna Cohen School

 

NYC Geographic District #21

 

2007-08

 

Jamaica High School

 

NYC Geographic District #28

 

2007-08

 

IS 49 Bertha A. Dreyfus

 

NYC Geographic District #31

 

2007-08

 

REST OF STATE

 

 

 

Roberto  Clemente School 8

 

Rochester CSD

 

2007-08