BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — The Buffalo Public School community searching for answers to the latest round of after-school fighting in downtown Buffalo that happened Tuesday.
“We need to deal with the root cause of these issues because it's not just a security issue,” remarked Jessica Bauer Walker, Buffalo School parent.
Bauer Walker is a parent of a Hutch Tech High School student. She tells me “it’s scary” knowing a 16-year-old student from her child's school was stabbed Tuesday afternoon in downtown Buffalo.
Fortunately, the teen was not seriously hurt. But Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia says a fight erupted at Court and Niagara Square right outside Buffalo Police Headquarters after-school Tuesday between a bunch of teens.
The entire fight and stabbing were all captured on surveillance video, but it's another in a series of ongoing after-school fights among city school students.
"This is absolutely unacceptable. The fights that are occurring, the issues that we are seeing are absolutely unacceptable,” remarked Commissioner Gramaglia.
Buffalo police have been working with the school district, NFTA, and school resource officers to try and stop the fights. Peacemakers are in downtown Buffalo after school.
However, Commissioner Gramaglia has a direct message for parents.
“Know where your children are. Know what they're doing when they're not in school. When school is over, communicate with your children and tell them they need to go wherever it is,” Gramaglia requested. “The parents need to take a lead role and tell their kids where they need to be and what they need to be doing."
That’s been a similar message from the Buffalo Public School District as well. Schools Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams issued this statement in response to the Niagara Square stabbing:
"As the Superintendent of the Buffalo Public Schools, I sustained are not life-threatening, I am still very concerned. Our staff and partners, including the Peacemakers have been vocal about the importance of safety. It is our highest priority. While I am very thankful that the student who suffered injuries yesterday is healing and the injuries that were, have been diligent and proactive about working to mitigate any harm that staff or students experience while on any of our school campuses, buses, or even while at BPS sporting or artistic events. The issue of community safety for youth is becoming increasingly complex and will require collective efforts from all stakeholder groups. The Buffalo Public Schools cannot do it all alone. Our youth are experiencing extreme levels of mental health issues and trauma like we have never seen before. There is a growing need for the youth in our city to be engaged in appropriate, meaningful, safe, and well-supervised social, counseling, recreational, mentoring, and employment apprenticeship opportunities after school."
Dr. Tonja Willima, superintendent, Buffalo Public School District
The district also outlined several preventive steps that have been taken this school year:
- Worked with the BPD, NFTA, and the Peacemakers
- Hired more school security officers and a Chief of School Security
- Has limited transit passes
- Conducted robocalls to parents
- Created and promoted safety in video messages and letters sent to parents and in school PA announcements
- Implemented a 3-Tier Bell schedule
- Held meetings with charter school leaders to problem-solve
- Implemented sports spectator practices
"Youth violence is something that is occurring everywhere,” noted Larry Scott, Buffalo School Board member.
At-large School Board Member Scott also told me the district needs more help from parents.
“And our parents, overall, and caregivers, need to step up and make sure there is some accountability with their children and with any access to phones and social media. It needs to be better regulated,” Scott explained.
Many of the more recent fights and after-school disturbances have occurred in the Lafayette Square and Fountain Plaza areas of downtown.
The police commissioner warned parents not to let their children stay in downtown Buffalo after they leave their school.
“Having kids hang out down at Fountain Plaza, downtown outside the library, downtown on Main Street, Chippewa, and all around here — two to three, and sometimes four hours after school lets out — it's completely unacceptable,” Commissioner Gramaglia stated.
But Bauer Walker, who is also the leader of the Community Health Worker Parent Association for the city school district, says there's "no silver bullet".
“Some parents may need to do better. A lot of parents need help. Our young people need help,” commented Bauer Walker.
Bauer Walker tells me students are dealing with a variety of issues and sometimes they just don't want to go home after school.
“A lot of the messages are telling them to go home, where it's safe. A lot of our students — that's not their reality. Their home is not safe, so they want to find places to go to hang out,” replied Bauer Walker.
