Workplace Violence Reduction Act for Public Schools

Level of Government: State

As a constituent and politically active member of the New York State United Teachers, I request your support for legislation that would include school districts within the enhanced safety and health protections afforded to other public employees pursuant to the "Workplace Violence Reduction Act" of 2006 (S.2124 by Sen. Golden/A.2136 by Asm. John). Chapter 82 of the Laws of 2006 established a statutory requirement that public employers develop and implement programs to prevent workplace violence and to mitigate other potentially hazardous worksite issues. 

It is important to include school districts within the Workplace Violence Reduction Act of 2006 because it provides enhanced hazard evaluation and remediation strategies that are superior to "Schools Against Violence in Education" Act of 2000 ("SAVE" ). If enacted, this legislation will provide school districts with the real violence and/or hazard identification and reduction strategies that have already been implemented for all other public employers. This legislation requires that the administration, the teachers and other school-related professionals to initiate a collaborative dialogue to identify potential security gaps or other workplace hazards. It also requires employers to establish a remediation plan in the event that security gaps or workplace hazards are identified. 

More specifically, this legislation would:

• Require employers to evaluate, identify and mitigate potential safety problems in order to insure a safe work/learning environment for all of their employees and the students that they serve; 
• Require that public school districts develop and implement a written workplace violence prevention program; 
• Require that school staff receive training on strategies to protect themselves from violence or other dangerous situations in the workplace;
• Establish a reporting system so that school districts can track all incidences of violent or aggressive behavior in an effort to identify trends or incidences that require remediation; and
• Authorize any public employee or a representative of such public employee who believes that a serious violation of a safety or health standard exists, or an imminent danger exists, and has not been sufficiently addressed to request an inspection by the Department of Labor.

Violence in school settings is an increasingly visible element in our state's education system and too many school facilities contain real and persistent hazards to the health and safety of teachers, school-related professionals and students alike. This legislation would assist school districts in identifying and mitigating potential safety problems in order to insure a safe work and learning environment for all employees and students.

I strongly urge you to support the passage of this important legislation. Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this important matter.

Sincerely,

Your Name Here