New York, NY – Yesterday, NYC Council Education Committee Chairperson Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights, Elmhurst) held an oversight hearing at the Council Chambers of City Hall to examine the NYC Department of Education’s response to incidents of bullying, harassment and discrimination in public schools and the Department’s efforts to improve overall school climate.
The hearing was prompted in part by the tragic incident that occurred on September 27, 2017 at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx in which one student lost his life, another was seriously injured and a third had his life forever altered. According to numerous reports from students who attend or attended the school, the incident resulted from multiple anti-gay bullying episodes that were not adequately addressed by school leadership.
“Bullying remains a serious problem in our schools,” said Dromm, who is openly-gay and faced bullying throughout his youth and as an adult. “National data demonstrates that one of out every five students are bullied. LGBTQ students, Muslim students and those who are overweight or have disabilities are disproportionately victimized. Sadly, NYC public school students lack access to curricula and textbooks that accurately reflect these different communities. Most textbooks exclude the many contributions LGBTQ people have made over the course of history. These omissions marginalize us and render us invisible. It must end now.”
At the hearing, Dromm heard moving testimony from students who experience or witness bullying nearly every day. The testimony revealed that many students were unaware that their school had a Respect for All (RFA) liaison. Chancellor Regulation A-832 mandates that “each principal must designate at least one RFA Liaison to whom reports by students or staff members of student-on-student biased-based harassment, intimidation and/or bullying can be made and who serves as a resource for students and staff on this issue and who is trained in human relations in the areas of race, color, creed, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression and weight.” The regulation also mandates that RFA liaisons be assigned to a school full time, available to students Monday to Friday and easily accessible to students.
Many of the young people who testified spoke of the negative school climate metal detectors and policing create in their schools.
Dromm continued, “Metal detectors, increased policing and zero tolerance policies are not solutions to school bullying. These measures create hostile school climates that are not conducive to learning, making matters worse. Instead, we must bolster social, emotional, and mental health support structures in NYC public schools. The DOE must increase the number of full-time school guidance counselors, employ restorative justice practices and offer comprehensive mental health services system-wide.”
In an effort to address some of the serious concerns raised at the hearing, Dromm has sponsored Intro 1538.
Intro 1538 would require the DOE to report information on its website regarding RFA liaisons at each school, including their names and contact information, for the reporting of bullying or bias-based incidents. RFA liaison contact information specific to a particular school would also be posted on that school’s website.
Reiterating what she had announced earlier that day, Chancellor Carmen Fariña, spoke about the DOE’s new anti-bullying initiatives aimed at better serving students and families. The Chancellor said that these initiatives will help ensure schools are providing safe and inclusive learning environments in every school building. The initiatives include: a Bullying Complaint Portal for families; community workshops on bullying prevention and reduction; Mental Health First Aid training for schools and communities; increased protection from bullying for students; and funding for student-led Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSA) and Respect For All clubs.
“Though much more work remains to be done, this is a welcome step in the right direction,” said Dromm. “Reducing bullying in our schools will save lives. I am particularly pleased that the DOE is investing $1 million to support GSA’s and Respect for All clubs. As someone who has worked on this issue for over 25 years, I know that holding schools accountable is key to improving school climate and this goal seems to be reflected in these new initiatives. I look forward to continuing to work with the DOE to ensure its success.”
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