the drab green walls into explosions of color and creativity. All of this
made the cafeteria a safer and more pleasant place for the students and
the cafeteria staff.
Ms. Nguyen’s dietician at her Houston elementary school wanted to be
informed of special events in a timely fashion. When students were going
on a field trip and needed box lunches, she asked for one week’s notice
because this involved her making special preparation. Every assistant
principal and principal soon learns that when one listens and responds ap-
propriately to the needs of a support staff member not under her direct su-
pervision, he will do all possible to assist with future needs. Ms. Nguyen
made sure her two assistant principals were aware of this. When a teacher
asked permission for a school trip that involved special lunch arrange-
ments, the assistant principal spoke with the school dietician immediately.
By meeting the needs of others, one fulfills one’s own needs.
Almost all schools have a school security force. In most schools, this
force is supervised by the school district and the principal in the school.
This was the case in New York City for many years. However, during Mr.
Chen’s tenure as principal, the school security officers became school se-
curity agents (SSAs) supervised by the New York City Police Department
(NYPD). They did not report to the principal but to an assigned sergeant
(the school liaison) from the local police precinct. In some schools this
led to jurisdictional issues that took awhile to iron out. At Mr. Chen’s
Brooklyn high school, where he always maintained a good relationship
with the local precinct, the transition went smoothly.
Every school leader needs a point person or liaison with the local po-
lice authorities. The assistant principal of security served as Mr. Chen’s
point person. He interacted almost daily with the youth officers assigned
to the precinct’s schools. He met with other officers outside the school at
dismissal time. He attended the yearly precinct meeting and met with the
captain. When the change in jurisdiction already noted came about, he
recognized the need to maintain the same open communication with the
school officers, now agents.
One issue that arose early concerned the reportage of school inci-
dents. At the end of each day, the supervising security agent reported
all incidents to the precinct. Mr. Chen’s assistant principal of security
reported incidents to the superintendent’s office. The first month of the
Remember the Support Staff 155