A day before the New York City Council’s scheduled oversight hearing on school safety. That Tuesday morning, a student arrived early at East Side Community H.S. in Manhattan and was stopped from entering by school safety agents Nadine Penniston and Mark Ruiz, who told her the rule: Entry was not permitted until 7:45 a.m.

The student, Isamar Gonzalez, became irate and ultimately punched agent Penniston, a 27-year-old mother of two, in the face and pulled the agent’s hair so hard that a clump of hair remained as evidence of the assault, which constituted grounds for arrest.

President Floyd conducts a press conference outside City Hall with a group of school safety agents beside him.

When agents Penniston and Ruiz made the arrest and tried to escort the 17-year-old out of the school’s front door to a waiting patrol car, Principal Mark Federman blocked them and insisted they use a side door to spare the 17-year-old senior humiliation in front of her peers.

The agents were going to honor the principal’s request, but when they learned that a dean had called the student’s mother and the woman was creating a disturbance at the side door, the agents began to leave by the front entrance. That’s when the principal, who had been blocking the door in an X-like fashion, pulled the agents to the ground.

The next morning, Oct. 10, the debate over school discipline authority dominated the media and the City Council hearing.

“Once there is an assault, which is a crime, the school safety agent is in charge,” affirmed Local 237 President Gregory Floyd in response to a question on the jurisdiction issue from Councilman Robert Jackson, chairperson of the Committee on Education. “School safety agents are there to protect students and the public in general, yet they are the ones being subjected to violence and abuse,” added Floyd in his testimony. [See “Two Council Hearings Focus on School Safety”.]

During a break in the hearing, Local 237 held a press conference on the steps of City Hall to introduce the two school safety agents involved in the incident and provide their point of view. Reporters from all the major news media were on hand as Floyd emphasized that “students cannot assault a school safety agent and then be supported. This is not a case of discipline. This is a crime.”

When asked about the principal’s role, Floyd was clear: “The principal has to step back and let law enforcement do their job.”

Following the incident, the New York Police Department brought charges against the principal, but not the Department of Education, which allowed him to return to work that afternoon. Acknowledging the conflict, Floyd said the issue “needs to be worked out with city administration so everyone understands who is in charge when a crime is committed.” But, he added, “For the time being, this is how it is.”

On hand to lend his support, Councilman David Weprin (D Queens) told the press that school safety agents have a “thankless job,” with top salaries in the low $30,000 range. Floyd added, “Yesterday’s attack is just the latest incident where safety agents, the majority of whom are minorities, have been targeted for abuse by school administration officials, when they, in fact, were the victims.”

That evening, Floyd was a guest on New York 1’s “The Call” cable TV program, and the next night, Oct. 11, he appeared on New York 1’s “Inside City Hall,” with Dominic Carter, where he debated the jurisdiction issue with Ernest Logan, president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.


Setting the Record Straight

In his opening remark, Floyd corrected host Carter for describing school safety agents as “low level” workers. Floyd pointed out that agents are trained to follow strict arrest procedures. “They have to get that person out as fast as possible to de-escalate the problem.” He added, “Our agents are often caught between the supervisors, which are the NYPD, and the principals.”

Logan, on the other hand, said the issue is that the principal’s request was ignored. Floyd reminded Logan that “what happened in Cleveland is the issue.” That day, a 14-year-old student entered a school in Cleveland with two loaded guns and injured two teachers and two students before killing himself. The small school had no metal detectors and only one guard at the front desk.

Most importantly, Floyd emphasized before thousands of television viewers, “School safety agents have a lot of rapport with the students.” Many agents are mothers whose own children often attend the schools where they work. They are being unfairly represented.”