Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A coalition of parent groups on Monday responded to Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams' plea for parents to talk to children about their behavior and safety concerns at schools, on buses and downtown, as well as the increased communication they have been receiving from the district regarding behavior and safety.
"We are concerned about our children's health and safety and well being, said Jessica Bauer Walker, President of Community Health Worker Parent Association. "We are hoping that we can find ways to better communicate, coordinate and collaborate in these efforts."
"We have been receiving regular messages from the superintendent and from the district about children gathering downtown at Fountain Plaza, and incidences of school violence at a football game. We really want to focus on problem solving and making sure that all stakeholders are at the table, including parents, students and community so that we can come up with a resolution."
The parent groups note that there are five high schools who release students downtown and around Fountain Plaza within a limited time window. The parents are saying the district is directing students not to gather in groups and not to go to places like parks or libraries, but rather to "return home where it's safe," which the parent groups believe fail to address the physical, social and emotional needs of adolescents.
"I'd like to see us bringing the Buffalo Police, NFTA, the charter school that's downtown, and all the schools, parents, students, teachers to a table to talk about the problem and figure out a solution," says Ed Speidel, President of the District Parent Coordinating Council. "Why can't the kids get on a bus and leave downtown right away? Is there a transportation problem? Is it a problem with the schools not making the kids get on the bus? We need to sit down and have a real conversation about it and stop blaming each other, stop blaming the parents, stop blaming the kids and find solutions."
We reached out to school officials and got the following response:
"Superintendent Williams remains committed to keeping all students and staff as safe as possible, and her message to parents and the community speaks for itself. She is also respectful of all feedback, including from parent stakeholder groups.
"The Superintendent’s message was not based on a particular incident. There have been multiple times that some BPS students, charter school students, and others congregated at places such as Fountain Plaza, the train stations, the Central Library, and other locations. As she said in her remarks, there have been some physical altercations. Non-BPS students, such as charter schools, also use NFTA transportation that are not covered by the BPS code of conduct."
Bauer Walker says part of the message is to inform parents and students that the parent groups have resources that they can utilize.
"It's also important to recognize that the vast majority of students are behaving completely appropriately. This is a small minority of students who might be acting up and the heavy policing and security presence and threats of taking bus passes away, it's just not appropriate.
We are here and we do help on a daily basis. We help families, we're in schools, we're in community. We have started a suspension hotline for parents who are dealing with their children being excluded from schools so that we have peer advocates and we have attorneys. Many of us are trained in mental health first aid and trauma informed care. It would be helpful if the district could come up with a plan with us, because there's an established group of parent leaders and parent groups and we really have not been asked for feedback or to come up with a collaborative solution together."
Bauer Walker explains the first step to ensuring solutions.
"Let's talk to the parents. Let's talk to the students. We know where they are. We literally can go where they are and start talking to them. We know who the key stakeholder groups are. We have established parent leadership in Buffalo Public Schools, let's start working together."