The Bill de Blasio administration has made a big deal about the lower student suspension rate but is quiet when it comes to the uptick in student weapon confiscations. This disconnect is one of the reasons that Mayor Bill de Blasio's claim that the city schools are safer than ever is snickered at by most education experts.
In today's New York Post, Susan Edelman has published an article showing that weapon confiscations have risen significantly since Bill de Blasio became Mayor. Despite the skyrocketing student weapon confiscations in school, the suspension and arrest rates have dropped since many of the weapons confiscated were considered legal such as kitchen knives and box cutters, Moreover, principals are reluctant to suspend students caught with weapons because it hurts their statistics when being evaluated in their "quality review"and all suspensions must be approved by the DOE who can and do overrule the Principal's recommendation.
According to the Post;s article weapon confiscations rose an astounding 28% last school year, rising from 2,119 in he 2016-17 school year to 2,718 in the 2017-18 school year,
No wonder students don't feel safe outside their classroom. You can read my posts on weapons in the schools Here, Here, Here, and Here.