Sexual Abuse Charges Rise In Queens Public Schools

In the Astoria incident, police said two 12-year-old girls charged the three boys made inappropriate contacts in a fifth-floor classroom at 1:25 p.m. The girls reported the incident to the substitute teacher, who informed the principal. The school is at 31-51 21st St.
The alleged victim at P.S. 47 reported the sexual abuse incident occurred in the school auditorium at 8:30 a.m. on May 25. She said she waited until school ended before reporting it to her mother, who notified police. The elementary school is on 9 Power Rd.
Schools Chancellor Harold Levy said the rising tide of school sex attacks may be partly the result of more pressure to report such incidents. "When you push hard to try to get people to report every incident," he said, "youre going to get more incidents. The reporting is the first step to the cure. If we know the extent of the problem, then we can get on it."
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said. "Although this is obviously a very, very alarming situation, theres really no indication that this hasnt been going on for some time, and it just wasnt getting reported."
School officials are exploring the use of technology in different ways to shore up security.
City Controller Alan Hevesi, Democratic candidate for mayor, urged the application of the latest security technology and proposed cameras in school stairwells and sensors that alert safety officers when exit doors are closed. Five incidents of violence occurred in stairwells last week alone.