In an environment where learning and personal growth should thrive, a safe and secure atmosphere is the foundation where students can succeed and reach their full potential. At Curtis, the school aids, safety officers, and overall staff work to their fullest to ensure the students feel safe, despite the job becoming increasingly difficult as new classes join the school. For officer Quintana, the level three officer assigned to Curtis, the biggest struggle seems to be the lack of safety officers.  This year there are three officers and one level three.  The  school should have 14 officers and one level three.  According to Officer Quintana there has been not just a shortage of officers in Curtis, but all over New York City. In fact, before the pandemic, there were around 5,000 safety agents assigned to schools in NYC. As of late last month, that number had dropped to 3,900. With so few officers around the school it has been difficult to maintain school tone. Quintana believes that the reasoning for the lack of school safety officers is the insufficient pay, and if she could do one thing to improve school safety; it would be to increase the pay as a way to recruit more officers.

 Mr. Burbano,  assistant principal of security, explained that Curtis is dealing with the shortage of school safety by using a team of school aides. For instance, the 2017 wing isn’t as crowded so there are no school safety officers patrolling that area, instead, there are school aides  managing the bathrooms and keeping an eye on the hallways. The areas monitored by the safety officers and school aides depend on the traffic, period, and population that area holds. 

Another policy explained by Mr. Burbano, was the new bathroom code that started last year. The policy consisted of school aides monitoring the entrance of the bathroom, asking for ID’s, and requiring students to sign their name, OSIS, time in, and time out. This policy was created to ensure the bathrooms were a  safe place and there was no vandalism. Overall, Curtis’ system of safety has shown to be effective. The safety officers, school aides, deans, and assistant principals all work together effectively to make sure Curtis stays a safe place for all its students.