Violence Involving Weapons

The tabular array of Education has upstage the principal of the riotous Martin Luther King Jr. High School after a hoi polloi of violence involving weapons at the schooltime. Most recently, on Friday, a student sneaked a knife into the bustling five-story building and threatened a nonher student. The remotion of the principal, Ronald Williams Wells, came well-nigh three weeks after a crush of students, teachers and administrators dashed from the building and for dispense in classrooms when a man shot deuce students in what appeared to be a dispute over a girl.The school is at wolfram 66th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, a block from Lincoln Center. On Friday, two students were arrested after one student displayed a f superannuateding knife during an argument. He passed it to a second student after security officers arrived to break up the fight. The first student sneaked the knife into the building by passing it internal a book bag through the schools weapons scanner. Martin Luth er King school officials did non call th e Board of Education until hours later, said Catie Marshall.The Board of Education requires school administrators to call the boards emergency information center straight after such incidents. During an investigation into the timing of the report, Tony Sawyer, the Manhattan high school superintendent, removed Mr. Wells Ms. Marshall said. The New York Post first reported the electric discharge yesterday. Mr. Wells has been replaced by Steve Gutman, a 36-year veteran of the system who retired in family but came back to the board at Mr. Sawyers request. Mr. Wellss new assignment has not been announced. After the Jan. 5 shootings, Mr. Wells came under criticism for not world at work.He was on duty with the National Guard that day. Schools premier Harold O. Levy, who toured the building after the shooting, found that some people who were not enrolled in courses were carrying photo identification cards. The school has had its share of trouble i n the almost three decades since it opened. Efforts to improve the curriculum have faltered, and principals have quit. Next year, the school which is large, with about 3,000 students will be divided into two smaller academies.The removal of a principal cannot be seen as having fixed the problem, said C. Virginia Fields, the Manhattan borough president, who is a member of the task force working to phase out the old school. There is much work to be done. We need to address base hit and security, as well as other concerns that have been raised, including academics and student selection. My flavour on the whole thing is that the school made the right decision to remove the princible from the school. For one reason what if something happened again like Columbine. That would not be good.