School Safety Agents will No Longer Use NYPD Frequency Provided after Uvalde Tragedy

By Yehudit Garmaise

After 19 fourth graders and two teachers were murdered on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last fall, the NYPD gave school safety agents new radios to communicate directly with the police department in emergencies.

Through the NYPD radios, NYC school safety agents also were able to hear about any criminal activities that might be happening around their schools.

In a new reversal, however, the NYPD has ordered most school safety agents not to use the police frequency, but the Department of Education (DOE) radio frequency, instead, NY1 reported.

“At least one agent per school is designated to stay on the NYPD frequency, on which they will have the ability to request immediate assistance from patrol officers during an emergency,” the NYPD said in a statement. “The other agents assigned to the school will remain on the DOE frequency in order to maintain contact with DOE staffers inside the school.”

Although the NYPD did not explain its change in its radio policy for school safety agents, one reason for the change may be that the school principals’ union felt that their previous system of schoolwide radio systems provided better inter-school communication than the newer system that connected them to NYPD radios. 

“The policy shift prevented clear and timely communication on school-specific matters,” explained Henry Rubio, the executive vice president for the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators. “It is critical that school personnel and safety agents communicate and coordinate quickly during situations that pose dangers to students and staff.”