NEW YORK CITY – City officials are taking steps to address a significant reduction in school safety personnel by hiring assistant school safety agents fresh out of high school. In 2023, the New York Police Department (NYPD) was granted approval to recruit 400 assistant agents under the age of 21. These agents, expected to begin their duties this month, are intended to support existing safety staff across elementary schools.
This initiative is positioned as a strategic move to create a pipeline of future school safety agents in response to the number of school safety agents in the city dropping 28% since 2020.
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However, challenges in implementation have caused delays, reports Chalkbeat New York.
Roles and Responsibilities of Assistant School Safety Agents
Officials hope that assistant school safety agents will play a supporting role on campuses. Their primary tasks, as outlined in the job description, will include:
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- Answering phones and greeting visitors
- Monitoring doorbells and school entrances
- Identifying individuals breaching New York City Public Schools’ rules and regulations
The assistants will wear uniforms like their regular safety agent counterparts but will not be armed. After completing eight weeks of training, which will include components on restorative justice and managing emotional crises in students, the recruits will be expected to step into their roles. Compensation for this position will be $37,399 annually, which is approximately $3,000 above minimum wage.
These new assistants, however, will not be deployed to middle or high schools and will focus solely on elementary campuses.
School Safety Staffing Challenges
The need for this initiative stems from an ongoing shortage of school safety agents. The department currently employs 3,600 agents, down from 5,000 five years ago. Factors contributing to the decline are:
- High attrition rates during the pandemic, which were partly influenced by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate
- Low pay relative to responsibilities
- City leadership decisions under Mayor Eric Adams to reduce staffing levels within the division
School principals have voiced serious concerns about the safety risks associated with the shortage. Reduced personnel has left many K-12 campuses unable to cover critical periods such as student arrival and dismissal, times notorious for skirmishes among students. Some high schools have also reported insufficient agents to operate weapons screening equipment, creating bottlenecks and delaying students’ access to classes.
Mixed Reactions from the Community
The decision to hire teenagers and young adults into safety roles has faced significant criticism. Advocacy groups and parents have expressed concern that individuals fresh out of high school lack the maturity and experience to manage the complexities of school safety. A coalition of advocates recently submitted a formal letter to Mayor Adams and Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, urging the city to reconsider the plan. Protests against the move were also staged outside the Education Department’s Manhattan headquarters.
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On the other hand, city officials argue that creating this entry-level position will help combat the staffing shortage over time by introducing young workers to the field with a clear career-growth trajectory.
Some current safety agents, however, remain skeptical about the initiative. Concerns have been raised about whether this program will have the desired long-term effect on mitigating staffing shortages, especially given the low wages offered.
Broader Recruitment Challenges in Public Safety
New York City’s school safety division is not alone in struggling to recruit and retain personnel. Public safety agencies nationwide are facing similar issues due to:
- Declining numbers of applicants
- Increased turnover rates
- Challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic
- Competition from other sectors and organizations offering higher wages and more attractive career options
Schools, colleges, and healthcare campuses are among the hardest hit, with shortages predating the pandemic, according to the 2018 Campus Safety Salary and Benefits Survey.
More recently, Texas, which two years ago passed House Bill 3 requiring every K-12 campus in the state to have an armed officer, is also struggling to fill those positions, in great part due to HB 3 being an under-funded mandate.
