Oct. 10 – Oversight on School Safety

A joint oversight hearing on school safety was held by the Committee on Education, chaired by Councilman Robert Jackson; the Committee on Public Safety, chaired by Councilman Peter F. Vallone Jr., and the Committee on Juvenile Justice, chaired by Councilwoman Sara M. Gonzalez. Testifying were Local 237 President Gregory Floyd, officials from the Department of Education, the New York Police Department’s School Safety Division, and the New York Civil Liberties Union.

President Gregory Floyd testifies before the City Council with Patricia Stryker, recording secretary and political action and legislation director, beside him.

The hearing, held by coincidence on the day after school safety agents arrested a student and the principal of East Side Community H.S., focused on the issue of who rules the schools.

Councilman Jackson, describing the situation as “a mess,” asked Deputy Schools Chancellor Kathleen Grimm to “shed light” on who has the authority on school safety. Grimm replied, “The principal is in charge of the school community. At the moment a crime is committed the NYPD takes over.” Echoing Grimm, NYPD Assistant Chief James Secreto, commanding officer of the School Safety Division, and President Gregory Floyd confirmed that “agents are given assignments and they carry them out.”

Referring to the NYCLU’s recent report, “Criminalizing the Classroom: The Over-Policing of New York City Schools,” Jackson asked Floyd if Local 237 is involved in the development of training for the agents. “Whenever it comes to school safety agents, we’re the last to be considered,” Floyd said, noting that the NYCLU did not consult the agents when they prepared their report. In addition, Floyd said, “Principals do not want to hear what school safety agents have to say. The agents’ opinions are not valued.”

Among the proposals that emerged at the hearing were developing a formal written protocol to resolve confusion over authority; educating students and teachers about the protocol; and improving recruitment and retention through professional development of agents.


Oct. 19 – Recruitment And Retention of School Safety Agents

A joint oversight hearing on recruitment and retention of SSAs was held by the City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor, chaired by Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., and the Committee on Public Safety, chaired by Peter F. Vallone Jr. Testifying for Local 237 were President Gregory Floyd and Recording Secretary Patricia Stryker, and two panels of school safety agents. Also testifying were officials from Local 372 and the NYPD.

“Retention is a crisis” said Floyd in his testimony, noting a 50 percent turnover rate of about 40 agents who leave the force each month, producing a loss of as many as 500 a year. Floyd also noted, “the exorbitant expense of training agents — about $5,000 each—is thrown away when they leave.”

Asked why they leave, Floyd said, “The bottom line is money,” as he pointed to an exhibit highlighting salaries, which showed SSAs, whose top pay is $32,000, are by far the lowest-paid of the special officers.

Speaking of recruitment, NYPD officials said they had “no difficulty,” but Floyd described it as “a revolving door,” noting a trend where SSAs get training and move on. “Continuity is not there. New York City is losing out.”

Vallone acknowledged that the salaries, and no increases based on longevity, “are outrageous,” and create a problem for principals who constantly lose “trusted school safety agents.” Floyd agreed, saying, “The team can’t afford to keep its stars.”

Floyd proposed a one-time, lump-sum adjustment to bring salaries to the level of special officers and offset pattern bargaining, which creates a widening gap between tiers with every increase.