School bullies, safety training, political prisoners and recruiting firefighters

More must be done to stop bullying

With the growing epidemic of school violence plaguing the country, almost all instances have one thing in common: bullies and victims [“School attacks hit home,” Editorial, March 29].

The adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” overlooks the reality that the very quality of the lives of victims of repetitive bullying have been profoundly affected long-term.

Although the New York State Dignity for All Students Act requires districts to enforce it, strict preventive measures remain on the back burner.

The parents of a student who was bullied in the Three Village School District have filed a federal lawsuit [“Three Village bullying lawsuit,” News, March 7]. A classmate threw books at their son, breaking his nose. Their son received a one-day suspension, but the assailant did not. This is the height of absurdity.

Administrators may not be inclined to act against suspected bullies without substantial proof. So the pros and cons of cameras in all classrooms and elsewhere on school grounds should be reconsidered.

Rationalizing that bullying and the need to dominate others has always been part of the human condition — including all age groups and socioeconomic classes — is a flimsy excuse for school officials to not do more.

 — Fred Barnett, Lake Grove

The writer was a schoolteacher for 45 years.

Schools need safety teams’ training

The article “Answers about security in LI schools” [News, March 29] omits that safety starts with prevention integrated with interventions. Threat Assessment and Management (TAM) teams are effective in preventing violence.

The science on target hardening indicates that security measures are minimally to moderately effective. New Jersey in 2022 mandated that all school districts have formal TAM teams. In New York State, such a mandate does not exist, and few Nassau or Suffolk county school districts have TAM teams despite some districts receiving training on how to develop such teams.

As good as security is, shooters are predatory in nature, preplan the violence, probe the locations and generally take less than three to five minutes to carry out attacks.

It is unrealistic and not feasible to expect that armed guards alone, despite their training, can prevent violence. Effective safety of our children must include an integrated TAM team with security.

 — Kostas A. Katsavdakis, Mineola

The real definition of a political prisoner

A courageous person who is arrested for speaking out against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s murderous campaign upon an unthreatening sovereign nation fits the definition of a political prisoner [“Navalny embodies the human spirit,” Opinion, March  17].

A person who is jailed for assaulting a law enforcement officer protecting the U.S. Capitol is not a political prisoner. That person is simply dangerous.

The radical wing of the Republican Party that attempts to glorify dangerous MAGA supporters does not speak for civilized Americans who understand right from wrong. Mainstream Republicans who remain quiet in response to such shameful behavior are not displaying bravery.

 — Nicholas Santora, Roslyn Heights

Suggestions to recruit young firefighters

The future of firefighting on Long Island is a hard road to travel. Recruitment and retention for a young person’s time is competitive. The article involving the junior fire departments having an all-female group is a start [“Firefighting’s future on LI,” Long Island, March 26].

As a former volunteer firefighter, I suggest that fire departments meet with the state Department of Education. Develop a statewide curriculum for junior fire programs and ask all public schools to give students involved with these programs high school credits. Extend these credits for students who go to college in New York.

These students, at 18, could receive the college credits by serving in their hometown department or near a school they attend.

For those who bypass college and go right into the workforce, the state should become involved with local employers. Create incentives so employers can give members of a fire department who maintain certificates in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use of an automated external defibrillator and Narcan an extra dollar an hour as part of their wages. With a 40-hour workweek, that’s around $2,000 more a year.

The volunteer fire service needs to constantly review how to retain and recruit our youth.

 — Michael J. Milner, Yaphank