Violence is always a top issue—especially if it occurs in one of your hometown schools. On January 5, 2004, Mayor Bloomberg named the top twelve most dangerous schools in New York City. There are ten high schools and two middle schools on the list. The list is as follows.

The school with the second highest number of incidents, (227, according to Small Schools Workshop Information Center) is Evander Childs HS. Evander, as it’s known in my neighborhood, is a ten to fifteen minute walk from my house in Eastchester. It’s a little alarming that there is a great deal of violence occurring so close to my house. In addition, one of my middle school friends attends Columbus HS, which has 18 incidents. Some have argued that all schools don’t report all of their incidents to the School Safety division of the NYPD.

I’m happy that my high school (Harry S Truman HS) didn’t appear on the list, but it still troubles me that my neighborhood has three dangerous high schools and shockingly, two middle schools. One may ask, “Who or what is to blame?” The answer is a little unclear. We’ve all heard politicians and activists ramble on about violent video games, rap songs (I’ll save my opinion on that for another article) and even the students’ home life. Mayor Bloomberg’s solution is more school security and to tighten the disciplinary policy. If a student carries a weapon or seriously injures a student or a teacher they’re expelled and they are sent to a special school.

Now for the numbers: these twelve schools accounted for 13% of all serious crime, 11% of total crime and had high absentee rates and higher suspension rates than the other city schools. Schools Chancellor Joel Klein claims the operation of the schools will be changed including how visitors are allowed in the building and hall passes are issued. In addition, he’s calling for 150 extra officers in each of the schools.

My high school had a “town hall” meeting where people voiced their concerns about the schools. The primary concern was security. A lot of people, including students, went up to the microphone complaining that security is ineffective and there are not enough guards as there need to be. The next day, Truman High School seemed like Truman the Precinct. I went around the corner during one of my free periods to use the bathroom and I was stopped and asked for my identification. The day after that, our principal got rid of the additional security and now my school is back to normal. She said that our school is not a prison.

The solution I propose is just that everyone be kind to one another. Also, respect is key in school. Respect for your classmates and teachers makes for a better experience in school. Responsibility is a quintessential character trait that works everywhere, all the time. Taking responsibility for one’s actions can prevent disasters. If all of these things are put into practice, maybe your high school won’t become a Precinct, or end up on the list of the most dangerous schools.