Dear New Yorkers, If a New York City school dials 911 about a student in distress, it’s the police who arrive on the scene. Under the terms of a 2014 legal settlement, schools are only supposed to dial those numbers in extreme cases: if a child poses “an imminent and substantial risk of serious injury” to themselves or others. But an investigation by THE CITY and ProPublica has found that thousands of those calls are placed every year by city schools. And unless a parent arrives in time to take them home, the child in distress must be transferred to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Close to 1,370 times since 2017, students were handcuffed while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. In several incidents, the handcuffed child was 6 or 7 years old. Worse, schools are far more likely to call 911 on Black students — who make up less than a quarter of the students in NYC schools but nearly half of those in “child-in-crisis” incidents. As mental health issues mount for younger people, schools are straining to keep up with the demand for counseling and other services. We’ve put together an explainer on how to get help if a NYC public school student you know might need resources, plus an app that tracks the services available school-to-school. And, if you’re curious about how the school services app came together, here’s the backstory. Read more here.
Some other items of note: Anger is mounting over the killing of 30-year-old Jordan Neely, who was held in a fatal chokehold by a fellow rider on an F train Monday — following what witnesses said was erratic behavior. His final moments were captured in a Facebook video now seen by millions and a subway station vigil turned heated as protesters and officials called for an arrest and more mental health services in the city. Doctors at a New York City hospital could go on strike for the first time in a generation. More than 160 resident physicians at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens — one of the city’s biggest public hospitals, and ground zero for the pandemic response — voted to authorize a strike if their union and Mount Sinai Health System can’t reach a deal on raises and hazard pay. In particular, the Elmhurst doctors are fighting to be paid the same amount as their non-union peers at Mount Sinai’s main campus in Manhattan, who currently make $7,000 more every year. A dozen members of the city’s Sheriff’s Office were suspended without pay for allegedly taking booze seized during the pandemic, when they raided bars and clubs for possibly violating shutdown rules. The officers all face internal discipline and were relieved of their guns and shields in the meantime. Yesterday, drivers of green and yellow cabs pushed back against the authorization of 2,500 revamped “Boro Taxis” licenses, allowing a new class of for-hire vehicles that will offer flat rates and not be allowed to pick up street hails. Members of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance argued there already isn’t enough work to go around. In another about-face, Twitter reversed course on charging the MTA and other public agencies to access its inner workings. As THE CITY previously reported, the MTA decided last week to stop using Twitter for service updates, since under a new pricing structure it would’ve cost $50,000 per month to maintain. On Wednesday @MTA tweeted — “Glad that Twitter got the message” — and says it’ll reassess service alerts moving forward. On Thursday, May 11, join THE CITY at an Open Newsroom session addressing mental health resources in New York City public schools, and how to get appropriate support for kids. The event will take place at the Central Library in Brooklyn at 6 p.m. in partnership with Chalkbeat, ProPublica and the Brooklyn Public Library. The event is free with an RSVP. May 31 is the last day to see the MISSING THEM photo exhibitions in The Bronx and Queens honoring those who appear in THE CITY’s COVID-19 memorial project. For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker.
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