Teachers Want The List Of Impact Schools Expanded

Teachers union representatives hope the Department of Education and NYPDs School Safety Initiative, which targets the citys 12 most violent schools, will expand to more Queens locations than just Far Rockaway and Franklin K. Lane high schools when city officials review the list this summer.
Beginning on January 5, an increased police presence helped 12 city high schools and middle schools, dubbed Impact Schools, see a 10% drop in overall violent incidents and a 48% decrease in major felony crimes, compared with the previous half of the school year, according to statistics released June 29 by the mayors office.
For the Queens schools on the list of 12, Far Rockaway and Franklin K. Lane saw an 83% drop in major crimes, said John Feinblatt, criminal justice coordinator for Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Feinblatt said after a review this summer, some schools will be added to the list and some will be removed. None of the schools will be taken off until a couple months into the upcoming instructional year, so that the gains realized this year can take hold, he said.
Ray Taruskin, dean and leader of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) at Far Rockaway, said the Impact Schools were successful because students saw safety agents in the hallway. He wants them to stay.
"We have been asking for extra agents for years," Taruskin said. "Children are children. They will go as far as you allow them to go.
The teacher of ninth and 10th grade science said before the increased agent presence and visits from police officers arresting those accused of crimes, some students would run from floor to floor in the three-story building and avoid adults monitoring the halls. Taruskin said he had students entering class as much as 20 minutes late.
"This prompted the kids to go to class," he said of the School Safety Initiative. "The teachers could then teach."
Many observers believe schools such as Jamaicas August Martin and Ozone Parks John Adams high schools could benefit from the initiative, if only to clear overcrowded hallways. However, city and teachers union officials would not name specific buildings.
"We have more schools where theres violence in the school hallways, particularly," said Rona Freiser, UFT district representative for Queens high schools.
Union spokesman Ron Davis said the mayors office, DOE, NYPD and the union collaborated to determine the initial list. This time, UFT President Randi Weingarten is calling for a system-wide implementation of the initiative, "particularly in schools where violence and a lack of student discipline disrupt education for students and staff."
Taruskin said the initiative helped 50% more students graduate this year, compared with last year.