It wasn't on the agenda and nobody asked about it, but members of the Syracuse Board of Education made a point during Wednesday evening’s meeting of supporting the police in two recent Taser incidents in city high schools.
Police officers used Tasers on students twice during a 24-hour period in September.
On Sept. 28, a school resource officer used a Taser to break-up a fight between two students at Fowler High School. The next day, another officer discharged a Taser at a 16-year-old student who was being disruptive in class at Nottingham High School.
“Fighting will never be tolerated at our high schools,” Superintendant Daniel Lowengard said. “We support our police officers and their actions.”
Lowengard said officers in schools have specialized training when it comes to dealing with violent students.
“The way a police officer is equipped on the street corner should be the way an officer is equipped in Syracuse schools,” said Susan Fahey, President of Parents for Public Schools of Syracuse, after the meeting.
Fahey said the recent increase in school violence is a result of gang-related activities in Syracuse.
“Suburban schools are a reflection of the suburban community,” she said. “Urban schools are a reflection of the inner-city community. It's like night and day.”
Lowengard said he plans on visiting district high schools in the coming weeks to discuss alternatives to fighting with students. He spoke with concerned city residents during a public meeting Saturday at Fountain of Life Church on South Avenue.
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