FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 22, 2021
The following statement is from Assemblymember Michael Reilly (R-Staten Island) regarding today’s safety incident at Susan E. Wagner High School…
“The safety incident that occurred at Wagner High School today is deeply concerning and warrants a full investigation by school officials and the NYPD; however, it is important to point out that, while the incident itself may not have been avoidable, its escalation could have been — and, above all, it is proof of the detrimental impact that City Hall and the Department of Education’s policies have had on the safety of our public school students and staff. In fact, it’s part of a disturbing trend of violent incidents occurring at public high schools on Staten Island and throughout New York City.
Right now, our public schools face a shortage of School Safety Agents, the product of a shortsighted vaccine mandate for public school employees and vendors, as well as a hiring slowdown in light of a plan to remove school safety from the purview of the NYPD. With less resources, this doesn’t only mean less safety agents inside our school buildings, but less agents to man security efforts like the metal detector program, which has been proven to make school buildings safer.
I am calling on Mayor de Blasio, Commissioner Shea, and Chancellor Porter to conduct a thorough review of this incident and take steps to address the cause(s) of safety incidents like this as they relate to staffing and other resources, such as the use of metal detectors.”