Violence is spiking in NYC schools – even if the city denies it
New state data show the 2015-16 year was the worst on record when it comes to serious violence in city schools — even as Mayor de Blasio says his data show it was the safest. Which do you believe?
The State Education Department on Monday posted its latest Violent and Disruptive Incident Report, or VADIR. In the key category of serious incidents, it shows a rise of nearly 6 percent, up from 15,934 incidents in 2014-15 to 16,851 in 2015-16.
Within that category: Forcible sex offenses rose 90 percent; assault with serious physical injury, 48 percent.
The city Department of Education says the state system is outdated and misleading. That’s supposed to explain why city data include more than 10,000 fewer violent incidents last year.
To be fair, SED is revamping its VADIR system for the 2017-18 school year. But that’s under orders from the state Board of Regents, which is now controlled by de Blasio’s ideological allies.
Note that Team de Blasio has embarked on a series of reforms to revamp the discipline code and reduce suspensions, bringing criticism even from the United Federation of Teachers.
Critics warn that the new VADIR system drops key information. If it were already in place, for example, no one would see that forcible rape in the schools rose 50 percent faster than other sex offenses last year.
By state numbers, overall school violence is up 30 percent since 2013. And the victims are disproportionately black and Hispanic.
But don’t worry: If the state “reformers” get their way, you soon won’t see these shocking numbers.
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