New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today issued the following statement concerning a memo at Jamaica High School reportedly ordering school personnel to take other steps before calling 911 to report incidents:

It is incomprehensible as to why Jamaica High School would establish a convoluted system that only sets up roadblocks to immediately notifying authorities about incidents on its campus.

Students should in no way be put at risk. Parents, teachers, and students deserve to know that a school’s administration is looking out for their welfare and safety and any policy that delays immediate reporting – to law enforcement or medical authorities – inevitably jeopardizes their well-being.

Secondary to that is the responsibility that schools accurately report all incidents on their campuses. A policy such as Jamaica’s should not impair a school’s ability to thoroughly report all incidents on its campus.

A recent audit issued by my office found that city high schools were not properly reporting all disruptive and violent incidents to the State Department of Education. I maintained then, as I do now, that education officials must do everything in their power to ensure that proper procedures are followed so that all incidents are reported.

Flawed reporting makes it difficult for parents, the public, and government officials to honestly assess whether a school is safe.

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