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Violence, Weapons Common at Most Dangerous Bronx Schools: Pro-Charter Group

By Eddie Small | March 22, 2016 5:10pm
 J.H.S. 162 is one of the 10 most violent public schools in The Bronx, according to the pro-charter group Families for Excellent Schools.
J.H.S. 162 is one of the 10 most violent public schools in The Bronx, according to the pro-charter group Families for Excellent Schools.
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DNAinfo/Eddie Small

THE BRONX — Violent incidents occur every five days and weapons are recovered every 17 days at the 10 most dangerous schools in The Bronx, according to a report from a pro-charter advocacy group.

The 10 schools are scattered all over the borough, from J.H.S. 162 in Morrisania to DeWitt Clinton High School in Bedford Park, according to Families for Excellent Schools.

The group examined weapons recovered and violent incidents reported at Bronx schools during the 2014-15 school year, finding that the worst offender was J.H.S. 118 in Tremont, where 16 weapons were recovered and 86 violent incidents occurred during the year.

Numbers at DeWitt Clinton High School were high as well, with 16 weapons recovered and 35 violent incidents. Throughout the 10 schools, a weapon was recovered an average of once every 17 school days, while a violent incident occurred an average of once every five school days, according to Families for Excellent Schools.

"Too many Bronx students are victims to the crisis of school violence that has swept the borough’s schools," Families for Excellent Schools CEO Jeremiah Kittredge said.

"The Department of Education needs to heed the calls of parents and immediately address the violence in our schools."

The group said it calculated the totals using data from the New York State Education Department.

The numbers for both violent incidents and weapons recovered increased from the 2013-14 school year at a majority of the 10 schools, according to data from the State Education Department.

“There is absolutely zero-tolerance for any weapons in schools," city Department of Education spokeswoman Toya Holness said in an email. "We work in close partnership with NYPD, and there are clear protocols in place to address any incidents swiftly to ensure the safety of all school communities.”

There has been a 29 percent decline in crime throughout city public schools between the 2011-12 and the 2014-15 school years, according to the DOE.

Families for Excellent Schools is questioning efforts by the city to change discipline policies in schools and recently came out with a report saying that violence in city schools rose by 23 percent during the 2014-15 year.

The DOE criticized those findings as misleading and the report did not mention that the rise in violence was even higher when looking only at charter schools.

An eighth grader at J.H.S. 162 who gave his name as Jesus was surprised that his school made the list, saying that he felt safe in the building and that fights did not occur that often.

"There are fights, but it's not like they're using a type of weapon or something like that," he said. "It's not that extreme."

The United Federation of Teacher declined to comment on the issue.