Schenectady High School removed from 'persistently dangerous' list

PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Goot

Schenectady High School is coming off the list of “persistently dangerous” schools, state Education Commissioner John B. King Jr. announced today.

“That is obviously an important indication of the hard work the people in this room have done and the work of the community as a whole,” he said at kickoff event for teachers at Proctors.

The high school was first added to the list in 2008 because it had too many violent incidents.

Superintendent John Yagielski said he is very excited about the news, especially that it was delivered by the commissioner personally.

“It’s a perfect way to start the school year,” he said.

District officials had attempted to make the case to be removed from the list last year but were unsuccessful, according to Yagielski.

Yagielski said school officials always believed that they did not belong on the list and it was only a statistical anomaly that placed them on it. He said perhaps it was because the district was reporting incidents that other school districts weren’t or rating their severity differently.

“That school was a safe school,” he said.

The district has extensive anti-bullying programs throughout the district. Also, in 2009, it expanded Central Park and King magnet schools from kindergarten through grade eight and school officials have found that the older students have improved their behavior because they are serving as role models for the younger students.