Board of Education Stands Behind Taser Use

Members of the Syracuse Board of Education say they will continue to support the recent actions of police officers in the city’s schools. This discussion Wednesday evening at the board’s monthly meeting came two weeks after two separate incidents involving the use of Tasers to break up fights at Syracuse high schools.

The police have been stationed at the Syracuse City Schools for years, but have only carried Tasers since the beginning of this school year. Police Chief Gary Miguel decided that the Tasers should be used in schools as an alternative to more physical weapons such as nightsticks or guns, Commissioner Cynthia Kirby said.

The officers in the schools are not under the jurisdiction of the school district, so the board doesn’t have the power to change the Taser policy, board Vice President Laurie Menkin said. The board had the choice between police officers with weapons including the Taser, or no officers at all, Kirby said. “I wish we didn’t have to have police officers armed with Tasers, but that’s the reality of this community.”

Superintendent Dan Lowengard said he believes that the strongest message from the incidents shouldn’t be about the Tasers but should instead be a message to the community that fighting is unacceptable. To help avoid future conflict, programs such as Say Yes to Education and a new district-wide curriculum that better deals with students’ social and emotional problems have been adopted, Lowengard said. “Kids need to be accountable for their behavior. We support not guns or Tasers or pepper spray; we support our police officers.”