Getting Lost On the Way
To the Principal's Office

Harlem —

Councilwoman Melinda Katz, who with Vallone, sits on both the Education and Public Safety Committees, has not yet read a revised version of the bill, according to spokesman Ben Branham. But “based on conversations she has had with its proponents,” Branham wrote in an e-mail, “she is inclined to support it.” Her original “strong reservations” about an “overburdened and underfunded” CCRB have been tempered by the elimination of the CCRB element, “and increases the likelihood of her sponsorship.” Katz’s probable endorsement will bring the tally to 33, tantalizingly close to the 34 votes the bill’s sponsors desire.

Council Speaker Quinn would not comment publicly on the bill or the revisions to it; according to her spokesman, Anthony Hogrebe, “The Speaker has not yet taken a formal position on the legislation, and we continue to have conversations with all stakeholders.” Many familiar with the negotiations said she, too, perceived the CCRB reporting requirement as a stumbling block. Education Committee Chair Robert Jackson, who first introduced the Student Safety Act, strongly advocated for an objective monitoring process via the CCRB. In February, he remained adamant in his commitment to independent oversight: “There needs to be absolute clarity and transparency, and there needs to be an objective appeals process independent of the New York Police Department,” Jackson told City Limits.

This month, Jackson revised his view: “While we initially pursued an independent process, it soon became clear that the CCRB lacks the resources to handle these complaints in a timely manner, especially given the current budget crisis,” he wrote in an e-mail. “The existing proposal achieves greater transparency by using 311 as the vehicle for transmitting complaints to [the Internal Affairs Bureau], and strengthening reporting requirements.”

Advocates see the bill as a possible national model for school-safety reform. Mandated quarterly reporting of school safety incidents, in hyper-granular, wonkish detail, will permit close scrutiny of what actually happens in the city’s schools, and either refute the claims of the DOE, or of the advocates who says policing the schools represents a systemic challenge.

“Many people, including the Department of Education, accuse us of exaggerating the situation,” says the NYCLU’s Ofer. “Advocates and the NYCLU believe this is s systemic problem. Students, parents and police personnel are the victims. School safety agents are in a position that’s bad for them, making decisions they’re not trained to make. This bill will allow people to make an informed decision whether the police department is enforcing school discipline.” It could also set the stage for discussions of behavior, responsibility, crime and punishment in the city’s schools, as well as the nation’s schools.

- Helen Zelon