Q&A
Importance of parental involvement in addressing subway surfing
1:29:22
·
5 min
The discussion focuses on the critical role of parents in addressing subway surfing and the resources provided to engage them. Key points include:
- Parents are identified as important partners in combating subway surfing
- Many parents are surprised to learn their children are engaging in this dangerous behavior
- Schools plan to use various channels to reach and educate parents, including PTAs, CECs, and parent coordinators
- Current resources for parents include presentations and awareness campaigns
- Future plans involve creating lessons for parents alongside those for teachers and students
- The importance of language access for non-English speaking families is emphasized
- Suggestions are made to use platforms like Jupiter to send messages to parents about subway surfing during parent-teacher conferences
Kevin Dantzler
1:29:22
Our young people have said nothing about them without them is for them, and we're taking that to heart.
Mark Rampersant
1:29:29
And our important, important partner in this respect, and many of them don't know that they're an important partner for this initiative, is our parents.
UNKNOWN
1:29:36
That's right.
Anna Taktachev
1:29:36
And
Mark Rampersant
1:29:36
that is definitely a voice that will be at the table.
1:29:39
That's a voice that we continue to incorporate in everything we develop for young people.
1:29:43
And as our partners in the NYPD have shared, many of our parents are super surprised that their young people are even, you know, committing, these kinds of reckless behaviors.
1:29:53
So to to to educate our parents is super important, and whether the conversation is happening at the dinner table or on the way to school, we wanna make sure that our part our parents are our allies in this space as well, so they are not excluded from the the the planning and the presentations as well.
Rita Joseph
1:30:09
And what resources are you providing for parents, for the, what resources are you providing for parents?
Mark Rampersant
1:30:17
Yeah.
1:30:17
So currently it's really the presentations outside of the awareness the awareness that has been done.
1:30:22
But going forward, the work that we're doing around the lessons the lessons created for for teachers, for young people, we plan to use our PTAC CECs, our parent groups, our parent coordinators who host these meetings, educate our school safety agents who do the community outreach work where they're doing presentations for school staff and parents, utilizing all of those supports to reach our parents and meet them where they are.
Rita Joseph
1:30:46
And are we also making sure that we're using language access?
1:30:50
Since we have many families, English is not their first language, the child may be the only one that speaks English in that household.
1:30:57
So language access would be very important.
1:30:59
Are you using any other platforms like Jupyter to send out message to parents?
1:31:03
Like, parent teacher conference is coming up this week.
1:31:05
Are we sending out those messages to parent teacher conference?
1:31:08
That that that could be one of the items on the agenda as teachers discuss meet with parents.
1:31:13
Across the city this week is high school parent teacher conference, so I'm hoping that on platforms like Jupyter, you send out text messages about assignments and all that.
1:31:21
I think that should also be embedded in how we reach so many parents across the city.
1:31:27
So I think that's that would be one idea as we engage parents, PTAs, SLTs, as and even the SLTs in the building should be addressed, and how they can be a partner and a voice in this work as well.
1:31:40
What role does the school counselors and social workers, I've always asked that, and the psychologists play in identifying and addressing youth at risk of engaging in subway surfing?
1:31:48
And one person we usually leave out of this conversation, attendance teachers play a very important role.
1:31:53
Because I was reading one of the stories, I realized that one of the students left out.
1:31:58
Attendance teachers play a role, and they can be a partner with our social workers and our guidance counselors, and also helping them in this work.
1:32:04
So, please let me know how we engage the social workers, psychologists, in identifying them.
1:32:11
How have you used them?
Mark Rampersant
1:32:13
Yeah.
1:32:13
So the unfortunate part is really the the social workers as it relates specifically to subway survey.
1:32:19
It is usually sort of an after after after the fact.
1:32:22
Right?
1:32:22
So the the subway surfing sort of, actions that students display are not that evident outside of maybe just sort of being absent, but many of the students are engaged in school, right, and do this stuff after school and so forth.
1:32:40
And and schools are never the wiser.
Rita Joseph
1:32:42
Sometimes they do it in front of schools.
1:32:43
Somebody was doing it at 8 AM.
Mark Rampersant
1:32:45
Somebody does it 7 AM.
Rita Joseph
1:32:47
Before school.
1:32:48
It's been the for school activity too.
Mark Rampersant
1:32:50
100%.
1:32:51
Right?
1:32:51
And there's no way for schools to know this information.
1:32:53
And so what we've done is, in in partnership with the chief, is every case of a student who is engaged by the NYPD, New York City Public Schools will get notification.
1:33:06
Just yesterday, we have 3 young people who were found on the top of the train, and and they were, safely Mhmm.
1:33:14
Moved.
1:33:14
And that information that information was provided to New York City public schools.
1:33:18
And by the time those young people entered the building, there were guidance counselors and support caring adults awaiting them at the door to have a conversation about this at risk behavior, of which many of our young people don't believe that the schools will ever get knowledge of.
1:33:34
Right?
1:33:34
Because the connection between the law enforcement professionals and the school staff doesn't reach that far.
1:33:41
But based on this newfound relationship in this respect, this is an add it, that the chief and I are doing, and it's not about, providing student information or violating FERPA or other practices.
1:33:54
This is around taking away the students' ability to remain invisible to the school that these are the behaviors that they are are participating in after hours.
1:34:06
So rest assure that every case of a subway surf egg incident, whether the young person made it on CHOP or outside of the train or otherwise, an attempt or an actual act, we are utilizing the supports of our guidance council of social workers and other caring adults to have conversations with those young people as well as do outreach to the parents, and we are going to ask that principals are constantly monitoring the attendance and overall behavior of these young people so that there is no repeat of the action.
