Violence spikes at city’s Renewal schools
In his first month at PS/MS 123, third-grader Tyrill was “choked” in his classroom by a boy who told him to shut up. The same bully bashed another kid on the head with a whiteboard.
“He started bleeding everywhere,” said Tyrill, 9.
The victim went to the hospital by ambulance, and the perpetrator was suspended for two days and sent back to the same class.
Asked if he felt safe in school, Tyrill said, “No, I just protect myself.”
With 575 students in pre-K to eighth grade, the Central Harlem school named for gospel singer Mahalia Jackson tallied 58 incidents last year to land on the state’s “persistently dangerous” list. The incidents included 33 assaults causing physical injuries, two of them “serious injuries.” Five injuries involved weapons, Department of Education data show.
PS/MS 123 is one of 94 struggling schools targeted for millions of dollars in extra help under Mayor de Blasio’s Renewal Program.
Violent incidents have increased at these schools, an analysis by the pro-charter group Families for Excellent Schools found. Data show an 8 percent jump in 11 types of incidents used to calculate scores on the state’s School Violence Index.
Those incidents — including sex offenses, robbery, and use of weapons — rose at 48 Renewal schools, the analysis found:
- Students injured in assaults rose from 443 to 563.
- Assaults causing serious injuries rose from 40 to 53.
- Bullying with weapons increased from 69 to 90.
Nine Renewal schools are labeled “persistently dangerous.” and seven of them, including PS/MS 123, scored higher on the School Violence Index in 2014-15 than the prior year.
Principal Melitina Hernandez did not return calls for comment.
The DOE confirmed that EMS responded to “an incident” at PS/MS 123 in January. “There were no major injuries, and staff followed protocol in taking the appropriate disciplinary actions,” a spokesman said.
The city says that school crimes, reported by the NYPD, have decreased.
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