SCHENECTADY — School board member Jamaica Miles and other parents expressed outrage over the suspension of 14 high school students, saying the incident is the latest in a string of harsh disciplinary measures disproportionately meted out to students of color.
Miles said students at the recently opened Steinmetz Freshman Leadership Academy, including her daughter, were suspended after they gathered in class to witness an argument between two girls who were supposed to be fighting. However, the verbal altercation ended when an adult and a security guard intervened and dispersed the crowd peacefully.
The community activist said she first learned that her daughter had been suspended for two days when on October 17 went to Oakwood Avenue School to bring a girl money for homecoming. Miles recalled being approached in the school hallway by a building administrator who, with other parents around, told her about the incident.
“I’m not disputing that (my daughter) shouldn’t have been in that room,” Miles said. “I dispute the degree to which the initial punishment was given to the district saying that we are talking about restorative actions and that a suspension would be the last thing we would do short of a physical altercation, and the administrator told me straight up that there was no suspicion of my child instigating.”
She said that when on October 21 met with the building’s principal, he informed her that her daughter and 13 other students’ suspension had been reduced from two days to one day.
Miles, a community activist and school board member since 2021, posted the incident on Facebook and linked to an online petition calling for the district to address the situation and accusing it of being callous about restorative practices.
Restorative practices focus on strengthening relationships within the school community and resolving conflict in ways that repair harm rather than removing students from the classroom. According to the National Institutes of Health, they are intended as an alternative to punitive measures such as suspensions, which disproportionately affect students of color and low-income students. Many schools implement these practices through strategies such as clubs, peer-led programs, and restorative conferences.
An truancy suspension is noted on the student’s academic record.
In the online petition, Miles wrote that on October 17 the suspended suspension was not an isolated incident, but “part of a long damaging pattern with the Schenectady City School District.”
Miles called on parents, guardians and people in the community to demand that the district immediately review the 14 suspensions and rescind the punishment for students who were truant; conduct an audit of disciplinary actions over the past five years, disaggregated by race, gender, grade level, and disability status; commit to ending excessive, exclusive discipline and fully implementing restorative practices; initiate training and accountability for administrators who rely on punishment rather than relationships, learning, and supervision.
Times Union 20 October reached a district spokeswoman late for comment on Superintendent Carlos Cotto Jr.
October 22 Cotto sent an email. letter to the Times Union, saying, “We know that situations involving students can cause strong emotions and concerns,” but “due to student privacy laws, we cannot share or confirm information about any student.”
“We can assure our community that: The district is committed to fairly and consistently upholding our Code of Character, Conduct and Support in every school,” he wrote, adding that “administrative decisions are made thoughtfully, with careful consideration of the rights and well-being of each student involved.”
He continued: “We also recognize that information shared on social media or through word of mouth is often incomplete or inaccurate.”
The next day, Cotto repeated his comments in a follow-up email. a letter the Times Union sent to him and Deputy Chief Joe DiCaprio seeking clarification.
“Our goal is always to work directly with our families when they have questions or concerns,” he wrote, adding that “conversations on social media can sometimes take away important context, so we encourage parents to contact us so we can speak with them directly and provide accurate information.”
“Significant concerns” about how the incident was handled
Miles said she watched the videos about Oct. 17. the incident that caused the actions to be suspended.
She said the entire episode, from the time the first students entered the classroom due to the alleged fight to the last teenager leaving, lasted less than two minutes. Miles said a security guard arrived 30 seconds after the first student entered the classroom, entered the room without issue and motioned for the students to exit.
“Not all of the students were walking in the classroom. Some of them were walking into the classroom, others were standing in the doorway, and when (the security monitor) came in to tell the students to leave, it was over…”. she said.
Miles said she also saw a second employee in the hallway. It is not clear if there is a video camera inside the room.
“I certainly believe that Dr. Cotto is committed to restorative practice, but especially right now, I don’t see that actually coming into practice, and I’m very concerned because it’s just a symptom of the larger deficiencies that we have throughout the district,” Miles said.
Schenectady Schools Superintendent Carlos M. Cotto Jr. September 4 talks to students at the Steinmetz Freshman Leadership Academy. School board member Jamaica Miles called on Cotto to address community concerns about the recent suspension of 14 students at the school. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
She said accountability projects, or in-school suspensions, are among the disciplinary measures outlined in the code of conduct that should precede suspensions. The 14 students who were suspended were also banned from homecoming that weekend.
School board President Bernice Rivera issued a statement Thursday noting that the board unanimously approved the district’s Code of Character, Conduct and Support “which reflects our shared commitment to creating a safe, supportive learning environment for every student.”
She said the board, along with district leaders, “regularly reviews policies and practices as part of our normal oversight process to ensure they are being implemented effectively and consistently.”
Her statement continued, “I have complete confidence in our district’s willingness to have open, honest and constructive conversations with the families and students we serve.”
Schenectady Federation of Teachers President Mike Silverstri said in a statement Thursday that he was disturbed that Miles called out the administrator she initially spoke with on social media.
“As a union leader in this volatile political climate, I’m very concerned that any board member, especially one who would use that platform to publicly call out an employee and basically put a target on their back,” he said. “This is even more concerning given the retention problems we face in education.”
Invitation to review disciplinary practices
October 20 Miles, as the co-founder and executive director of the All of Us Community Action Group, “on behalf of concerned parents, students and community members and beyond” then sent an email. letter directly to Cotto with an online petition attached. All of us describe ourselves as a black-led grassroots organization that fights against racism, sexism, exploitation and oppression.
“We urge your office to acknowledge these concerns and take immediate, transparent action to review the district’s disciplinary approach and practices,” Miles wrote. “Our students deserve a district that lives up to its stated values — one that teaches through understanding, not exclusion.”
She asked Cotto to confirm that he had received the email. letter and petition, and asked for “information on how your office intends to respond to community demands.”
After Miles and All of Us founder Shawn Young sent a second email letter to Cotto and DiCaprio, the boss said he had received the message.
Miles and Young told administrators that the “one-size-fits-all disciplinary response” — a two-day suspension — does not treat students as individuals, as required by the district’s code of conduct. They also included a list of everyone who signed the petition, highlighting Schenectady parents and students.
September 4 In Schenectady, students arrive at the Steinmetz Freshman Leadership Academy. Some parents are concerned about the decision to suspend 14 students on Oct. 17 after they gathered for a fight that didn’t happen. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
One of those parents, Renee Minus, wrote in the petition that her daughter was “just trying to get to class on time and she got suspended.”
Natikka Anderson, another parent, described the suspension as “outrageous” in the comments section of the petition.
“Even if there was a fight, since when was a “spectator” of a fight punishable by suspension? she asked. “The kids who didn’t fight shouldn’t even be suspended…let alone the kids who watched NOTHING happen.”
But some of Miles’ social media comments suggest the students got what they deserved.
Autumn Nicole wrote that she would be “pissed off if my kid went to a classroom where he had no business watching an argument, hoping it turned into a fight…our kids don’t need to watch fights/arguments for entertainment.”
Raylene Kathleen refused to sign the petition. She said she’s writing in support of administrators because “kids need to learn accountability and responsibility, don’t gang up and watch fights for entertainment while participating in gang-like bullying.”
Katilia Irizarry, who said her son graduated from Schenectady High School last year and another this year, agreed with Kathleen.
“Sometimes the huddle makes these kids feel like they have to fight sometimes,” Irizarry wrote.
She said her boys have told her that some of the “adult staff are disrespectful and talk crazy to the students, but they also said right after that some of the students are very disrespectful and act crazy to the staff.”
Miles responded by urging women to read the code of conduct she posted online.
“In all the emails and conversations I’ve had since Friday, I still can’t wrap my head around how we even got to the point where it was suspended,” Miles said. “I’m not grateful for them saying, ‘OK, she can come back tomorrow instead of Wednesday,’ because I don’t feel like there’s a full acknowledgment of the mistake that was made in the first place.”
This article was originally published Some Schenectady parents are lashing out over the suspension of 14 high school students.