The Journal News is reporting that the New Rochelle Police Department is denying claims by New Rochelle High School Principal Don Conetta that the recent “isolated incident” at the school was reported to police by school district officials.
Principal Donald Conetta has said the school notified the police youth officer within minutes. But Hearle stands by the department’s statement that the incident was not reported officially to police until the mother of the injured teen reported an assault a day after the incident.
A student suffered a fractured jaw after being punched in the face. The police have determined that the student who threw the punch acted in self-defense and that the injured student had attacked the other student.
As anyone who reads this web site knows, Don Conetta is a well-documented liar and fraud who routinely orchestrates coverups of violent incidents at the high school and, as a matter of policy, generally does not report violent incidents to the police. In 2008, the New Rochelle Police Department filed incident reports for over 100 “violent and disruptive incidents” ranging from assault and battery to stick-up robberies. Law enforcement officials have been tracking gang activity — prevalent throughout the high school — for many years. School officials initiated virtually no calls to police in 2008; victims or parents went to the police on their own. School officials generally do not cooperate with police investigation and have resisted efforts by law enforcement to implement gang remediation programs in the schools until recently.
There is a good reason why the district does not report incidents to the police and significantly under reports incidents to New York State (as they are required by law to do). Federal law requires each state to determine annually which public elementary and secondary schools are “persistently dangerous.” Each state may set its own criteria to assess and compare levels of violence across schools. New York bases its “persistently dangerous” determinations on two years’ worth of VADIR data. In August 2008 New York used a “School Violence Index” (SVI) comprised of a sum of weighted incidents divided by the school’s K-12 enrollment.
The Formula for classifying a school as “persistently dangerous”
IF for two consecutive school years, a school has EITHER:
1) An SVI of 1.5 or greater
OR
2) An SVI of 0.5 or greater AND a total of 60 or more serious incidents
THEN the school may be designated as a persistently dangerous school.
In NR VADIR 2007-08.pdfthe most recent VADIR report (2008-2008) the district reported having 3,400 students. As an aside, during the same period the school reported having 2,900 students to the New Rochelle Fire Department. See how that works? When it suits them they report a high number or a low number. For calculating the School Violence Index, a higher enrollment number is better, it lowers the score by increasing the denominator in the equation.
School Violence Index Incident Categories (Weighted by seriousness; all of these incident categories are classified as “Serious”)
Homicide 100
Forcible Sex Offenses 60
Other Sex Offenses 45
Robbery 40
Assault with Serious Physical Injury 40
Arson 30
Kidnapping 30
Assault with Physical Injury 30
Reckless Endangerment 25
All Other Incident Categories Involving the Use of a Weapon 25
Weapons Possession 15
You multiply the number of incidents in a particular category by their “weight”, add those all together, then divide by the enrollment figure.
At New Rochelle High School they reported
0 Homicide 100 = 0
0 Forcible Sex Offenses 60 = 0
0 Other Sex Offenses 45 = 0
0 Robbery 40 = 0
0 Assault with Serious Physical Injury 40 = 0
0 Arson 30 = 0
0 Kidnapping 30 = 0
4 Assault with Physical Injury 30 = 120
1 Reckless Endangerment 25 = 25
0 All Other Incident Categories Involving the Use of a Weapon 25 = 0
6 Weapons Possession 15 = 90
The total is 265
235/3400= 0.7
If you believe that there were no assaults resulting in serious physical injury and just 6 weapons violations I have a bridge to sell you.
In 2008, the NRPD has over 100 incident reports from 102 Clove Road. Almost every single one was instigated by the victim or their parent. The incident reports are primarily for burglary, stick up robberies, assault and harassment. If the situation at New Rochelle High School is like the rest of the country, the number of actual incidents is a far higher. None of this includes accounting for melees which occur regularly, often requiring multiple security guards. New Rochelle residents might want to know why there are more security guards (40-45) on duty during a given school days then there are cops patrolling New Rochelle during the same time period. New Rochelle High School houses about 3,000 kids; New Rochelle is a city of almost 80,000 people. Think about it.
If you are interesting in learning more…
VADIR – Violent and Disruptive Incident Reporting
Each school district is required to annually submit for each school building Violent and Disruptive Incident Reports (VADIR)
Reportable Offenses – FAQ
1. When are incidents involving physical injury reportable?
Incidents involving physical injury, with or without the use of a weapon, must be reported regardless of the type of disciplinary or referral action that results. Such incidents must be reported even if they do not result in any disciplinary or referral action. Additionally, such incidents must be reported regardless of whether or not the perpetrator(s) is identified.
2. When are incidents involving the threat of physical injury reportable?
Incidents involving the threat of physical injury, with or without the use of a weapon, by subjecting an individual(s) to danger by recklessly engaging in conduct that creates a grave risk of death or serious physical injury, yet causes no actual physical injury, must be reported regardless of the type of disciplinary or referral action that results. Such incidents must be reported even if they do not result in any disciplinary or referral action. Additionally, such incidents must be reported regardless of whether or not the perpetrator(s) is identified. Incidents meeting this description are reported in incident category number 8-reckless endangerment.
3. When are weapons possession incidents reportable?
Incidents involving weapons possession must be reported regardless of the type of disciplinary or referral action that results. Such incidents must be reported even if they do not result in any disciplinary or referral action. Additionally, such incidents must be reported regardless of whether or not the perpetrator(s) is identified.
4. When are incidents involving the use, sale or possession of drugs or alcohol reportable?
Incidents involving the use, sale or possession of drugs or alcohol must be reported regardless of the type of disciplinary or referral action that results. Such incidents must be reported even if they do not result in any disciplinary or referral action and regardless of whether or not the perpetrator(s) is identified. Students who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs while on school grounds should also be reported.
5. When are incidents involving bomb threats or false alarms reportable?
Incidents involving bomb threats or false alarms must be reported regardless of the type of disciplinary or referral action that results. Such incidents must be reported even if they do not result in any disciplinary or referral action and regardless of whether or not the perpetrator(s) is identified.
6. When are incidents involving intimidation, harassment, menacing or bullying behavior reportable?
Incidents involving intimidation, harassment, menacing or bullying behavior are reportable if:
(1) the behavior of the known or unknown perpetrator involved in such incidents is of sufficient seriousness to warrant:
• the suspension of a student; or
• the removal of a disruptive student pursuant to Education Law § 3214; or
• the referral of a student to a counseling or treatment program; or
• the transfer of a student to an alternative education program; or
• the referral of a student to the juvenile justice system; or
• the disciplinary action against, or the dismissal of, a school employee or notification of law enforcement of the commission of a crime.
(2) the incidents are the subject of a written or oral complaint to the school principal or other school administrator responsible for school discipline or are otherwise directly observed by such principal or administrator.
Incidents meeting the description in 6.(1) are reported in incident category 10 – intimidation, harassment, menacing or bullying and incidents meeting the description in 6.(2) are reported in Item 2 of the Summary of Violent and Disruptive Incidents.
7. When are incidents involving burglary or criminal mischief reportable?
Incidents involving burglary or criminal mischief are reportable if the behavior of the known or unknown perpetrator involved in such incidents is of sufficient seriousness to warrant:
• the suspension of a student; or
• the removal of a disruptive student pursuant to Education Law § 3214; or
• the referral of a student to a counseling or treatment program; or
• the transfer of a student to an alternative education program; or
• the referral of a student to the juvenile justice system; or
• the disciplinary action against, or dismissal of, a school employee, or notification of law enforcement of the commission of a crime.
8. When are incidents involving larceny or other theft offenses reportable?
Incidents involving larceny, theft are reportable if the behavior of the known or unknown perpetrator involved is of sufficient seriousness to warrant:
• the suspension of a student; or
• the removal of a disruptive student pursuant to Education Law § 3214; or
• the referral of a student to a counseling or treatment program; or
• the transfer of a student to an alternative education program; or
• the referral of a student to the juvenile justice system; or
• the disciplinary action against, or dismissal of, a school employee or notification of law enforcement of the commission of a crime.
9. When are incidents involving riot reportable?
Incidents involving riot are reportable if the behavior of the known or unknown perpetrator involved in such incidents is of sufficient seriousness to warrant:
• the suspension of a student; or
• the removal of a disruptive student pursuant to Education Law § 3214; or
• the referral of a student to a counseling or treatment program; or
• the transfer of a student to an alternative education program; or
• the referral of a student to the juvenile justice system; or
• disciplinary action against, or the dismissal of, a school employee or notification of law enforcement of the commission of a crime.
10. When are other disruptive incidents reportable?
Other disruptive incidents are reportable if the behavior of the known or unknown
perpetrator involved in such incidents is of sufficient seriousness to warrant:
• the suspension of a student; or
• the removal of a disruptive student pursuant to Education Law § 3214; or
• the referral of a student to a counseling or treatment program; or
• the transfer of a student to an alternative education program; or
• the referral of a student to the juvenile justice system; or
• disciplinary action against, or the dismissal of, a school employee or notification of law enforcement of the commission of a crime.
They certainly do not want parents reading this: Providing a Safe Public School Choice Option to Students Who Have Been Victims of a Violent Criminal Offense
Pursuant to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Pub.Law 107-110) (“NCLB”), when a student becomes the victim of a violent criminal offense while in or on the grounds of the public elementary or secondary school he or she attends, the local educational agency (“LEA”) must notify the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the student of their right to transfer the child to a safe public school within the district.
Among other things, law requires the school superintendent to determine if a student has been the victim of a violent criminal offense. This most certainly does not happen in New Rochelle as a matter of routine. I speak from direct experience here; my son was assaulted by three students who jumped him from behind and yet the school initially suspended my son right before I had to take him to the hospital and doctor’s put him on concussion watch. The school had the entire incident on video tape but initially refused to look at it; later Don Conetta said he looked at and said the video supported my son’s account that he was jumped from behind and was defending himself when he swung back. Conetta refused to make the video tape available to police or prosecutors from the District Attorney’s office, claiming that it would violate the “privacy” of the other students on the video tape.
