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Education


NYC SCHOOLS TO FEATURE NEW FRONT DOOR LOCKS AND SAFETY AGENTS THIS YEAR

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said the start of the school year coincides with
the safest summer in years.
WABC
By Dan Krauth
Friday, September 1, 2023 4:24PM ET
Thursday September 7 is the first day of classes for public school students in
New York City. Dan Krauth has more on what schools are doing to protect their
students this upcoming school year.
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The nation's largest school district is gearing up for
the start of the 2023-24 school year.

On Friday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was joined by NYPD Commissioner Edward
Caban and NYC Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks to discuss
the city's back-to-school safety preparations ahead of the start of the 2023
school year.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams discusses back-to-school safety


They outlined initiatives in place to help ensure a safe beginning of classes.

WATCH: NYC officials hold back-to-school safety briefing




The front doors at New York City public schools will lock beginning this year,
starting at elementary schools - a significant increase in security meant to
prevent a possible school shooting, said NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks.

"After the school day begins and the door locks, anyone who shows up at the
school will press the buzzer, will be seen by the school safety agent at the
front door. They will be able to communicate with them and present their ID and
the reason for being there before we gain entry," Banks said.

The program will start in elementary schools, and then expand to middle schools
and high schools next year.

The city will also continue programs to make students feel safer just outside
schools, where many crimes involving students occur.



An increase in weapons seized in schools last year was tied to violence just off
school grounds.

Officials say 6,945 weapons were seized on school grounds last year, some of
them guns and box cutters, but most of them were knives.





Banks said the city will continue to work with community members to create safe
passageways to and from school.

"Last year we were disturbed to see the uptick in weapons brought to school,"
said Banks. "Kids were not bringing these weapons to school to do damage to
their classmates. They told us over and over, these weapons were being used to
protect themselves to and from school."

Banks said students will also have two to four minutes of mindful breathing
every day, to teach them how to calm conflicts before they become violent.

"It's not just a cute thing to do," he said. "It is a lifelong skill that we
want to see our schools get better at and develop over a period of time so that
when they are faced with any level of trauma they know how to take a deep breath
and know how to make better choices before they just react."



NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said the start of the school year coincides with
the safest summer in years.

"Shooting incidents across five boroughs down 26%. The result is 193 fewer
people struck by gunfire this summer," said Caban. "(There were) also declines
in murders. So far this year we had 27 fewer murders this year citywide."

Thursday September 7 marks the first day of classes for New York City public
school students.

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