By Jeff Lipton
The report has been made available to the public for about five years under the federal "No Child Left Behind Act," so that parents can exercise their right to choose another school if the school their child attends fails to live up to their safety standards, according to the state Education Department, which releases the data.
It is the responsibility of each school to log and accurately report the incidents and send them to the state every year. The state then compiles the data into a report so parents can see how their schools are stacking up in terms of crime and disruptive incidents.
During the 2005-06 school year, the latest data made available by the state, the Lawrence Public Schools reported a total of 410 incidents - a vast majority of them minor offenses and "disruptions" - while the Hewlett-Woodmere School District recorded 72 incidents, many of them considered minor.
The most serious incident listed for Hewlett-Woodmere was a sex offense without the use of a weapon at Hewlett High School. School officials said they were prohibited by law from releasing details of the incident.
At Lawrence, the most glaring incidents included two cases of arson, one at the middle school and the other at the high school. Superintendent Dr. John Fitzsimons said it sounds more serious that it actually is, adding that it could have been "some kids lighting toilet paper on fire in the bathroom."
Both districts also reported incidents of weapons possession, with one recorded at Hewlett High School, four at Lawrence Middle School and three at Lawrence High School.
For the most part, the administrators said they were pleased with the safety of their school environments.
"I think we're doing a pretty good job," said Dr. Fitzsimons. "The schools are safe. We have tightened up all of our security."
Dr. Joyce Bisso, Hewlett-Woodmere's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, described her schools as "a very conservative behavioral environment" with emphasis on "respect and responsibility."
"Everybody is responsible for making it a healthy and safe environment," said Bisso, who is also liaison to building principals for student discipline. "We've created a very caring environment. And the kids, by and large, are good citizens of the school and the community.
"The administrators and teachers do their job, and the kids do their job also," added Bisso, who rated the safety of her district's schools as "excellent."
Both Fitzsimons and Bisso said their districts have zero tolerance when it comes to drugs and alcohol, with strict policies in place to police these activities.
In the report, Hewlett High School reported 11 incidents under the category of use, possession or sale of drugs, while Lawrence High School reported three under the same category. Bisso explained that if a student is caught with a prescription medication and fails to tell the school nurse about it, the incident is reported as an illegal drug offense.
"It could be one [prescription] pill," said Bisso. "It doesn't mean that the kids are walking around with kilos of cocaine."
Asked to explain the 410 incidents recorded in 2005-06, about half of which came under the "other disruptive incidents" category, Fitzsimons said building principals are encouraged to report everything. "We're not trying to hide anything," he said.
Although many of the incidents that occur on school grounds may be open to interpretation about whether they fall under different crime or incident categories, both Bisso and Fitzsimons said they believe school building administrators are doing their best to accurately report what is going on in their Five Towns schools.
"The administrators at the building level are maintaining the records and they're doing a good job at it," said Fitzsimons. "I feel it's pretty accurate."
But the state report continues to come under fire from many administrators across the state, who claim that some schools are more lax about reporting incidents than others and many principals feel if they report every incident, their schools will develop a bad reputation. The state requires schools to list incidents under almost every crime category from "homicide with a weapon" to bullying, harassment and minor altercations.
"It has generated a great deal of controversy, which tends to focus on the definition of the offenses and perhaps individual interpretation," said Bisso. "When I was principal of Hewlett High School [a few years ago], there was grave concern about what the report is saying in cold numbers, as opposed to what was really going on in the school buildings."
Fitzsimons said that during superintendents' conferences that he has attended, the methods of reporting incidents have come up and many school administrators believe that the state report "is over the top."
"I don't know what the state does with the data," said Fitzsimons. "Is it a fair description of what is happening in our school buildings?"
Both Bisso and Fitzsimons said it is made clear to the students that their actions in school could have serious consequences for them.
"It's all about the health and welfare of the students and keeping them safe," said Bisso.
Comments about this story? Jlipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
