JHS 226 Again Labeled Persistently Dangerous

For the second straight year, JHS 226 in South Ozone Park has been labeled “persistently dangerous” by the State Department of Education (DOE) in an annual review conducted under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Schools are listed as “persistently dangerous” if they have two successive years of “serious incidents.” These incidents could include homicide, forcible or other sexual offenses, robbery, assault resulting in physical injury, arson, kidnapping, reckless endangerment and possession, use or threatened use of a weapon, according to the State DOE.

City DOE spokesperson Marge Feinberg said city schools are making progress. “Under old rules, [the schools] would no longer be on this list,” she wrote in an e-mail to the Forum, “But the safety of our students is of the highest priority.”

Schools that are deemed persistently dangerous will receive additional support, Feinberg said. This includes “professional development in positive behavior interventions, peer mediation and conflict resolution.”

Parents have the option of transferring students from persistently dangerous schools to another school in their district.

JHS 226, also known as Virgil I. Grissom School, is located at 121-10 Rockaway Boulevard. It was the only school in Queens named to this year’s list of dangerous schools.