ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The effort to make Rochester city schools safer is top of mind for the district.  

“We need to reassure our students that we care about them, we love them, and we want them to have the best quality education,” said Anthony Hall, who is part of the Community Safety Task Force Coalition. “Safety is a number one priority.”

What You Need To Know

  • The Rochester City School District promises more support to Franklin High School, where teachers say they've been injured or assaulted

  • The support plan for Franklin includes staffing assistance in the way of help from central office and the Mobile Safety Unit

  • The district is considering is hiring an outside security firm, but the union representing the school safety officers is not happy about it

At Franklin High School on Monday, all eyes were focused on safety, after teachers said they've been hurt and assaulted on the job.

“As a parent of three children, one in the district, [and] one [who] just graduated last year out of the district, it's important that our students are able to come to and from school and feel good, feel safe," Hall said.

Hall is part of a group of men who showed up at Franklin Monday when school let out to show support for students.

“The men in Rochester have been docile for a long time,” said Devon Bey of the Community Safety Task Force Coalition. “Most of our organizations that are run are woman-based. And although they do an excellent job, they need help. And it's time for us to stand up.”

The superintendent of the district began her week at Franklin.

"I get concerned about the way sometimes our students are characterized,” Superintendent Dr. Lesli Myers-Small said. “Our students are amazing. They're incredible. They have been through an incredibly difficult time, does not excuse any type of behavior that contradicts or violates our code of conduct.”

She says the district is promising more help for Franklin.

“That's why we're here today,” Myers-Small said. “To put the systems and supports, to hear directly from our staff, what their specific needs are, and then move forward.”

The support plan for Franklin includes staffing assistance to include help from central office and the Mobile Safety Unit.

Another initiative the district is considering is hiring an outside security firm, but the union representing the school safety officers is not happy about it.

“They need to do more,” said Dan DiClemente, the president of BENTE Local 2419, the union that represents the district's 150 school safety officers. “They need to provide more incentives to get people to come and work here in their field because it's a very unsafe job, Our members see it is a slap in the face and they definitely see it as a colossal waste of money when we're constantly talking about how underpaid our officers are. And yet the board jams through with no public input, a contract for $160,000.”

Hall says he wants the district to include the community in the process and allow folks to bring ideas to the table.

“Community folks want to be a part of the planning process as we talk about safety," Hall said.

A more detailed plan is expected later this week from the district.