Principal Valletta did this every morning for the first three or four
weeks of school. There were many unexpected repercussions.
Especially during the first week of classes, many parents of the incom-
ing ninth graders were surprised to see a high school principal outside the
school and felt relieved that there was a person in authority who would
see that their children were ushered into the school safely. She was also
available to answer questions they had about the school.
During her patrol, Ms. Valletta would greet students as they entered,
reminding them to have their ID cards out to show to the security agents.
They could also speak with her on any issue. She would also greet staff
members as they entered. Some felt she was there solely to see who was
arriving late. This was not her purpose, but an unexpected consequence
was improved staff punctuality.
Neighborhood residents saw the principal moving students away from
their buildings. Some thanked her. Some said, “It’s about time!” Many were
surprised to see the principal doing such a “menial” task. However, calls
from neighborhood residents dropped significantly once this practice began.
There is nothing menial about teaching students to be good neighbors, en-
couraging students to get into school on time and not malinger on a comfort-
able stoop, and providing one-on-one access to students, parents, and staff.
The security assistant principal saw Ms. Valletta on patrol and joined
her outside the school. After Ms. Valletta’s three- to four-week tour of
duty, he took over. By this time the message had been sent and the ground
rules established. By being a role model, the principal defused many
problems before they even happened and taught her assistant principal to
be proactive.
On some occasions, problems will be caused by a school’s own security
staff. This can be labeled as “Dean’s Syndrome.” It is important that you
understand this condition. The main task of the school security staff—
school security officers (called school security agents in New York City),
deans, and the assistant principal of security—is to keep the incorrigible
students in the school under control. Yes, you’re horrified by the term
incorrigible, but it’s better than criminal element, which would also be
more or less correct. Let’s be honest with ourselves. There are certain
children whose sole purpose in attending any school (public, private, or
parochial) is to disrupt it.
Don’t Exacerbate; Defuse 19