About

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About

The Mayor's Leadership Team on School Climate and Discipline is a one-year task force charged with developing policy recommendations to enhance the well-being and safety of students and staff in the City’s public schools, while minimizing the use of suspensions, arrests and summonses. Co-chaired by Ursulina Ramirez, Chief of Staff at the NYC Department of Education, and Dana Kaplan, Executive Director of Youth and Strategic Initiatives at the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, the Leadership Team is comprised of representatives from city agencies, community organizations, and unions, as well as researchers, practitioners, principals, teachers, students and parents.

To meet its objectives, the Leadership Team developed five Working Groups that analyzed different aspects of student discipline and climate. Each Working Group, with the exception of the Principals’ Working Group, is co-chaired by a government representative and a non-government expert. The groups produced their own sets of recommendations that were then vetted by the Leadership Team.

The Leadership Team’s recommendations are advisory in nature. By the start of the new school year, DOE, NYPD and MOCJ will share with the Leadership Team implementation plans for selected recommendations. Many recommendations are already in the process of being implemented.

Leadership Team Members

  • Ursulina Ramirez, Chief of Staff, NYC Department of Education (Co-Chair)    
  • Dana Kaplan, Executive Director of Youth and Strategic Initiatives, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (Co-Chair)
  • Dr. Gary Belkin, Executive Deputy Commissioner, Department of Mental Health & Hygiene
  • Ana Bermudez, Commissioner, Department of Probation
  • Gladys Carrión, Commissioner, Administration for Children’s Services    
  • Chief Brian Conroy, Commanding Officer, School Safety Division, NYPD   
  • Kathleen DeCataldo, Executive Director, NYS Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children  
  • Celeste Douglas-Wheeler, Principal, MS 57, Ron Brown Academy
  • Hon. Monica Drinane, Former Supervising Judge of Bronx Family Court
  • Edward Fergus, Assistant Professor, New York University 
  • Kesi Foster, Coordinator, Urban Youth Collaborative
  • Ramon Garcia, Assistant Commissioner of School Safety Division, NYPD
  • William C. Garrett, Director, Young Men’s Initiative         
  • Nancy Ginsburg, Director, Adolescent Intervention & Diversion Team, The Legal Aid Society
  • Thomas Giovanni, Chief of Staff, New York City Law Department
  • Randi Herman, First Vice President, Council of School Supervisors & Administrators
  • Lois Herrera, CEO, Office of Safety & Youth Development, Department of Education     
  • Edie Sharp, Senior Policy Analyst, First Deputy Mayor’s Office
  • Sarah Landes, Director of Youth and School Partnerships, Make the Road NY
  • Donna Lieberman, Executive Director, New York Civil Liberties Union
  • Jeff Povalitis, Director of Safety and Health, United Federation of Teachers                   
  • Jensine Raihan, Student, Dignity in Schools Campaign
  • Michelle Reyes, New Settlement Parent Action Committee
  • Christine Rodriguez, Student, Make the Road NY
  • Aysha Schomburg, Legislative Counsel, New York City Council    
  • Ronnette Summers, New Settlement Parent Action Committee       
  • Michele Sviridoff, Deputy Criminal Justice Coordinator, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice
  • Kim Sweet, Executive Director, Advocates for Children

  • Julie Zuckerman, Principal, PS 513, Castle Bridge School     

Co-Chairs of the Working Groups

School Safety Working Group

  • Chief Brian Conroy, Executive Officer, School Safety Division, NYPD  

  • Kathleen DeCataldo, Executive Director, NYS Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children 

School Climate Working Group

  • Lois Herrera, CEO, Office of Safety & Youth Development, Department of Education 

  • Kim Sweet, Executive Director, Advocates for Children   

Resource Integration Working Group

  • Gladys Carrión, Commissioner, Administration for Children’s Services    

  • Nancy Ginsburg, Director, Adolescent Intervention & Diversion Team, The Legal Aid Society

Principals’ Working Group

  • Celeste Douglas-Wheeler, Principal, MS 57, Ron Brown Academy

  • Julie Zuckerman, Principal, PS 513, Castle Bridge School               

Data Working Group

  • Michele Sviridoff, Deputy Criminal Justice Coordinator, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice

  • Edward Fergus, Assistant Professor, New York University

Leadership Team Staff

  • Jordan Stockdale, Program Director, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice
  • Kavitha Mediratta, Senior Consultant, Leadership Team on School Climate and Discipline
  • Sarah Zeller Berkman, Senior Consultant, Leadership Team on School Climate and Discipline

Partnerships

The Leadership Team on School Climate and Discipline has been supported by generous donations from The Atlantic Philanthropies, The New York Community Trust, and John Jay College. Additionally, the Leadership Team has partnered with the Brooklyn Community Foundation to improve restorative supports in several schools in Brooklyn. Over the next several years, Brooklyn Community Foundation will give annually to support culturally competent and racially just restorative programming. The Leadership Team will evaluate the benefits of the program and the DOE will provide additional training opportunities for these schools.

Learn more information about the Brooklyn Community Foundation partnership.

If your organization is interested in learning more about working with the Leadership Team, please contact Jordan Stockdale at jstockdale@cityhall.nyc.gov or schoolclimate@cityhall.nyc.gov.