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City School District of Albany Takes Strong, Proactive Approach to School Safety

Violent Incidents Reduced 23% Past Two Years

ALBANY, NY (August 2005)--As the City School District of Albany prepares for the 2005-2006 school year, school leaders are taking a strong, proactive approach to ensuring the safety of all of our students and staff. This year, the district is taking a hard look at what has been successful in the past, and building on what works by introducing new initiatives.

As part of the process required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) for reporting violent and disruptive incidents, the district's own preliminary report shows a 23 percent decrease in the number of school safety violations over the past two years.

"The district is tackling the issue of school violence head-on. Any one incident is one too many," says Superintendent Dr. Eva Joseph. "This coming school year brings with it many changes. To keep students safe, we are being proactive and using new strategies. However, we can't do it alone. We ask that parents and students join the district in preventing school violence. I look forward to starting the new school year safely and doing everything possible to keep our schools and our students safe."

New initiatives for 2005-2006 include:

• Creating smaller schools

• Developing and implementing a random search policy

• Increasing safety and diversity training, including the expansion of current anti-bullying and gang-prevention efforts

• Employing a Safe Schools Principal

Small Schools
This year, Albany's middle schools will be completely restructured, reducing enrollment from approximately 900 at each of the district's two schools, to 650 at three schools--Philip Livingston Magnet Academy, Hackett Middle School, and Myers Middle School--and creating one small grade K-8 school at the newly renovated North Albany Academy. Smaller schools are safer schools. Small schools foster closer relationships between students and teachers, making supervision more manageable.

Random Searches
Last year, on the heels of incidents in Albany neighborhoods, the district responded with random searches in its middle schools at the beginning of the school day. The searches were conducted to ensure safety of students and staff while in school.

Feedback received from students and school staff was positive. The Board of Education is reviewing the Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Policy and will hold a public meeting in the near future to gather parental and community input regarding the adoption of a random search policy for middle and high schools.

Anti-bullying & Gang Prevention
Throughout the school year, the district will continue to host anti-bullying and gang prevention workshops for students, staff, and community residents. This year, we will also introduce diversity and cultural sensitivity training throughout the district.

Safe Schools Principal
Former Harriet Gibbons High School Principal Mr. Jerry Guzik will take on a new role as the district's Safe Schools Principal. Mr. Guzik will work one-on-one with principals and meet with students and their parents to answer questions, ensure consistency, and connect all of these parties with information, resources, and services. In addition to overseeing current efforts to keep schools safe, Mr. Guzik will be responsible for reporting incidents that violate school safety.   

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The City School District of Albany serves almost 9,400 students in 19 elementary, middle and high schools. The district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students in addition to neighborhood schools. The district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities project to newly build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary and middle schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is to provide schools with the resources necessary to help students succeed in the 21st Century.