NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A 16-year-old student was found with a loaded gun in his backpack at a Harlem high school on Friday morning, adding to rising concern regarding guns in and around New York City schools after a string of incidents this week.
The teen had a loaded .38 caliber gun in his backpack at Mott Hall High School, located at 6 Edgecombe Ave., and was discovered with the weapon at around 10:30 a.m., according to police.
He was taken into custody and charged with criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a weapon in a school. Police said the student was in court on Friday.
Sources told 1010 WINS that the NYPD will be involved to ensure that additional security is deployed to the campus, and that every student at the school has access to on-site mental health resources.
“The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and all students and staff are safe. NYPD safely recovered this item after a brave student voiced a concern. All safety procedures were followed, and we are working closely with the NYPD regarding follow-up actions,” NYC Schools Deputy Press Secretary Jenna Lyle said in a statement.
The statement is strikingly similar to those given on Thursday, when two males, ages 15 and 17, were found with guns in Flushing High School in Queens, and on Wednesday, when a 17-year-old student was arrested after being caught with a loaded gun in Curtis High School on Staten Island.
Also on Thursday, a 17-year-old was shot across the street from Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education High School on Staten Island, which is only 0.2 miles from Curtis High School in St. George.
When reached by 1010 WINS about the seeming uptick in incidents and safety protocols, an NYPD spokesperson said that recently, older scanners have been removed from schools and replaced with new CEIA Opengate scanners.
There are currently 83 full-time scanning schools, which include both middle and high schools, and scanners are installed at designated student entry points, the police spokesperson said. Police are continuing to assess and evaluate scanner deployment and installation throughout NYC schools as needed.
“Each day, NYPD School Safety Agents work diligently to enhance the quality of New York City public education by maintaining a safe and secure environment in the city's public schools,” the police spokesperson said.
1010 WINS went to Flushing High School on Friday and spoke with PTA President and former NYPD School Safety Agent Harold Gallego, who said that the most important thing to do is add more security in the form of manpower to NYC schools.
“It doesn’t matter if you give us metal detectors, all the bells and whistles don't mean anything if you have no one to safeguard these doors,” Gallego said.
In a school of 1,700 students that has 18 exits, the four safety officers at Flushing High School are not enough, considering the standard is seven, Gallego said. He also noted that last year, the school even had to spend some of its budget on private security. If the city is not able to provide more officers, it should “at least provide the funding for the school to get extra help,” he said.
Following the recovery of two guns from the Queens school on Thursday, metal detectors were added to entrances.
“After something happens, then they react. We’re not proactive in this city,” Gallego said.
A junior at the school, who spoke with 1010 WINS anonymously, said that she would prefer they not reinstate the scanners.
“There’s a lot of people in our school and it takes a long time, so it’s difficult, that’s why they don’t do it all the time,” she said.