The Issue About School Safety Officers
It is nothing new. We have heard about it so many times before. School safety officers are supposed to be keeping school children safe but in some cases, they might actually be a source of danger. I am actually unsure as how to approach this subject.
On the one hand, I do recognize the need for school safety officers. I am actually for them. I know that they are needed and that whatever other people might think and say, school safety officers play a crucial role. On the other hand, school safety officers are human just like any of us. They are prone to weaknesses and faults that may not complicate matters when they are at work.
So where is this coming from? I read a news report at WABC-TV New York about a lawsuit being filed against school safety officers of a New York high school. Snippets of the story below:
The New York Civil Liberties Union is making allegations against school safety agents Monday on behalf of a Queens high school student who says he was assaulted and beaten on campus.
And they say it’s a trend.
Rohan Morgan is the latest public high school student in New York City to claim physical abuse at the hand of school safety agents.
“They’re supposed to be here to protect us, make sure we’re ok,” Morgan said. “They’re the ones that are causing the trouble.” Morgan is a student at Hillcrest High School, where he says he was roughed up by security several times, including a recent confrontation over his cell phone.
“They took me to a back room, started hitting, punching, kicking me, just to get the phone from me,” he said. “Then they handcuffed me and took it from me.”
His family has filed a claim toward a lawsuit against the city. His mother has a negative view of school safety officers in general.
“They’re very cruel to our children,” Trudy Ann Morgan said. “They (treat the) children like they’re criminals.”
Apparently, this is not an isolated case. Even before Morgan went public with his allegations, there have been other incidents wherein students have reported injury due to the rough treatment of school safety officers.
I do not see any reasons that these kids would make these things up. Why would they when the school safety officers are there to protect them? Discrediting these officers would only mean that they might not have people to protect them in school anymore.
I do not have the facts. I do not have inside information. What I do know is that these people have been placed in schools for a reason but there is no excuse for them to be hurting kids in the process of keeping them safe. What do you think about school safety officers?
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Posted on December 8th, 2008 by Deborah J Thomas
Filed under: Administrators, Bullying, High School, News, Parents, People Involved, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues, Security, Students, Violence
The article says you dont have the facts then why are you writting this article? I cant believe this was published.
I agree with Dennis Lark; to generalize that school safety officers are “A problem” is an insult, a dangerous one, to all of us in the profession. Teachers have been CONVICTED of sexual and other assaults; are we to now believe that teachers as a whole are “A source of the problem?”
For eight years I have safely secured my school; in that time I have built ties with students that have lasted well into their college, work, military, and adult lives in general.
Are there bad apples in this profession? Yes, absolutely. But, to me, the biggest problem here is the irresponsible and sensationallistic journalism. It is dangerous to our profession, and to the students we protect, and the author should not be allowed to write anymore for public consumption. Stick to politics and movie stars for your lack of journalistic integrity; they are two components of society who deserve it.
well, hi admin adn people nice forum indeed. how’s life? hope it’s introduce branch