If you want me to put my life on the line, you’re gonna have to pay me more than that!
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With school shootings increasing worldwide, school safety agents are coming forth to reveal their own horror stories in hopes of increasing their protection and salary.
The Daily News revealed a class-action suit, which states that 5,000 New York school safety agents are underpaid, overworked, and unprepared.
From middle school prostitution, to gang violence, to students bringing guns and butcher knives to class, school safety agents feel they are on the verge of a massacre.
Local 237 President Greg Floyd and a group of fed up safety agents filed the $35 million class-action suit against the city in 2010. 70 percent of safety agents are women earning $7,000 or less than their male counterparts working in hospitals and shelters. The starting pay is roughly $31,000 and base salaries never exceed $35,000.
The school safety agents’ lawsuit is not completely for self gain. They would like to protect students and increase school safety to end the cycle of violence.
James Linsey, an attorney for Teamsters Local 236 who represents the safety agents said, “It’s like Newtown is happening every day in the schools, but in slow motion. It’s incredible what people don’t know.”
Court papers associated with the suit reveal testimonies made by school safety agents of school incidents that prove their lives are at stake. School safety agent Deserie Wilson confirmed agents have multiple confiscated weapons, including but not limited to butcher knives and bats, in their lockers within the dean’s office.
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Along with violence, sexual abuse and intimidation are also an issue within the schools. Rosemary Scott, a safety agent at Junior High School 190 in Queens, testified that a female student was forced to have sex with 17 boys, often on school grounds, to become a member of a gang. Scott said, “She’s part of the gang, and the only way to get out is if they beat her up bad. That’s her family now.”
Although school safety agents have testified the inappropriate and illegal acts of students, they do not have the authority to make arrests. School safety agents are reportedly provided with similar training as the New York Police Department, but lack the legal upper-hand that can protect them, as well as students who become victims at the hands of their classmates.
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While the gun-control laws are still in question and changes are still on the rise, those who are at the vanguard of crime should be provided with more security. As for the increase in pay, you gotta get in where you fit in.
SOURCE: NY DAILY NEWS
