As you probably know, on August 15 the State Education Department will announce the schools that have been placed on the state's "persistently dangerous" list. Sometime in September, SED will announce those schools that are required to devise a plan to reduce the incidence of weapons in the schools. While neither list is likely to be long, they are likely to generate public and media discussion even in districts where no schools have been designated.
To assist you in your discussions - refer to the talking points below. Obviously these should be supplemented with positive news about your schools and/or proactive steps you have taken to make your schools more safe. One further suggestion for those districts that will have a school on one or both lists: Make the announcement yourself without waiting for SED. It is good public relations practice that you should announce your own bad news, especially when you're certain the news will become public anyway. It permits you to frame the parameters of the discussion yourself, and it shows you will be candid and forthright in dealing with the bad news as well as the good. Leaving the announcement to others may create the impression they are "exposing" something you were attempting to "hide."
We hope these suggestions and talking points will help you deal with this issue.
Timothy G. Kremer, Executive Director
David Ernst, Director of Communications and Research
New York State School Boards Association
(518) 783-0200 or (800) 342-3360
Talking Points
“PERSISTENTLY DANGEROUS SCHOOLS”
Ø Nothing is more important to schools and school districts than maintaining an environment in which children can learn without fearing for their personal safety.
Ø Schools are safe places for children. According to a report from the National Center for Education Statistics, children in 2000 were twice as likely to become a victim of serious violent crime away from school as in school.
Ø Nevertheless, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires states to develop criteria for identifying “persistently dangerous schools.” Parents of students in these schools have the right to transfer their children to other schools.
Ø Schools tentatively identified by the State Education Department as persistently dangerous have the opportunity prior to Aug. 15, 2003, to contest the designation. SED will release a statewide list of “persistently dangerous” schools on Aug. 15.
Ø SED has decided that a school with a ratio of weapons incidents to enrollment of 3% or greater in each of two consecutive years will be designated “persistently dangerous.” NYSSBA believes the school’s efforts to keep weapons away from schools also should be considered in the designation decision.
Ø Schools with a 2% ratio of incidents to enrollment in each of two years will be required to develop a plan to reduce the number of weapons incidents during the 2003-04 school year. Unless there is improvement, these schools may be designated “persistently dangerous” for the 2004-05 school year. This list of schools will be announced in September.
Ø Parents are encouraged to visit their children’s schools, to request details of weapons incidents cited in the designation decision and to make their own judgments about the environment in their school. Schools that are being proactive in preventing such incidents, but meticulous in documenting and investigating those that do occur, should not be stigmatized for being conscientious.
In case you’re asked…
Ø NYSSBA successfully argued against use of a single incident of a student’s bringing a firearm to school in each of two consecutive years to designate a “persistently dangerous” school. Data on firearms incidents is incomplete, and such incidents should be related to the size of the school.
8/11/03