‘What’s the plan?’ Schenectady parents push safety concerns at listening session Vanessa Blasi — NEWS10 ABC

Classes at Schenectady School District began less than a month ago, but there have already been multiple fights, incidents of violence and just on Monday, a threat to the school. Many parents Tuesday said they want solutions, now.

SCENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Classes at Schenectady School District began less than a month ago, but there have already been multiple fights, incidents of violence and just on Monday, a threat to the school. Many parents Tuesday said they want solutions, now.

“We need to find a resolve or we’re gonna lose our babies,” said Crystal, a parent of Schenectady High School. “I’m here today to be a part of the resolve, to be a part of the resolve, to be a part of the resolve.”

Crystal has sent all of her kids through the Schenectady School District and said it hasn’t been easy.

“My son has been jumped, that’s one of my kids, that’s my son that y’all are talking about, my son, jumped, slapped in the face,” said Crystal.

The district held a listening session on Tuesday night for all Schenectady parents and community members to share their concerns. Many other parents spoke out, begging questions from a variety of topics.

“What are we doing to make sure these weapons aren’t brought in? What’s the plan?”

“How are we as parents supposed to trust a school district that’s deleting posts, not providing follow-ups?” said Courtney, a Schenectady High School parent.  

“Are the schools gonna get the metal detectors?” 

Since the start of school, there have been multiple altercations including one with a knife, incidents such as a student bringing a BB gun to school, and more. According to police, a 12-year-old Schenectady student was arrested Tuesday and charged with making a terrorist threat against the school.

“Something’s got to change. These kids are in crisis, they need help, they need support at younger and younger ages, and I feel like we need the community engagement, we need the school engagement, we need the parent engagement, and I feel like it’s not happening,” said Liz, a Schenectady School District parent.

Superintendent Dr. Carlos Cotto said his goal on Tuesday was to listen to people’s concerns. He also said that Tuesday night’s conversation will not be the last of it’s kind. He has plans to introduce “Coffee with the Superintendent” monthly meetings, starting Oct. 25.

“This is just one example of making sure that I make myself visible to the community, really just to listen, to process and to move forward on what we’re hearing from our families,” said Dr. Cotto.

Since 2021, the district has invested $15 million into safety upgrades, including door alarms and secure vestibules. They also added a safety team of about 90 staff who are trained to de-escalated situations inside the school. Jeff Russo, Schenectady’s district director of climate and safety, said more safety measures are coming.

“We look at all the layers, what do we have, what can we add, weapons detection is obviously another layer that we could add,” said Russo.

The Board of Education is still weighing the option of placing metal detectors in Schenectady middle and high schools. If the board decides to move forward, Russo said he expects the devices would be put in sometime in the winter. For now, some parents believe the community needs to step in.

“When are we going to stop putting the blame on this one, that one, this one, that one, that one, this one, and everybody be held accountable for what they do, what they say, where they’re not inserting themselves, and where they’re distancing themselves,” said Crystal.

Dr. Cotto also introduced a platform called ‘Let’s Talk!’ where parents and community members can share more of their concerns in an easy way.

The district is holding a board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday where they will go through a detailed safety measures presentation. For more information on this meeting, visit their website.

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