Mamdani set to cut nearly 300 school safety agents as felony assaults rise in NYC schools

Mayor Mamdani proposed slashing 264 school safety agents from city schools in the coming fiscal year — a reduction parent groups warn could spell disaster in the wake of rising felony assaults in schools.

The cut, called for in Hizzoner’s preliminary budget, was announced Monday by New York City Council Education Chair Eric Dinowitz at the fiscal year 2027 budget hearing.

“The DOE savings plan calls for a vacancy reduction of 264 school safety agents, meaning that schools would not be able to fully staff SSAs if desired,” Dinowitz said at the City Council hearing.

School safety agents are NYPD civilian employees who monitor city schools, prevent students from carrying weapons or drugs onto school grounds and intervene in fights.

“Currently, having just one School Safety Agent for every thousand students is not uncommon. Students are routinely late to class because of delays at scanners, and there are not enough SSAs who speak the languages of the students and families they serve,” Dinowitz told The Post.

Felony assaults in city schools have increased 5% over in the first half of this year with 109 serious assaults in the first half of the year , up from 103 in the same period the previous year, according to police data.

There were nearly 20 weapons arrests of people younger than 21-years old in the first quarter of 2026 with 16 knife possession arrests and two box cutter possession arrests, according to the NYPD’s school safety division.

That makes the proposed cut of 264 safety agents particularly alarming to parents and educators in the city’s most troubled schools.

“This makes me feel very uneasy for my child’s safety, if the number of safety agents are cut, who would their responsibilities fall upon? The admin? Staff? They already have their hands full,” said Jean, a Queens parent who asked that her last name not be used.

But while felony assaults are up, school suspensions are down.

There were 9,193 suspensions from July through December 2025, 8.3% fewer than the same period the previous year.

The DOE attributed the drop in suspensions to the use of restorative justice — the controversial practice of putting violent and problem students in harm-reduction “circles” with teachers and their victims rather than strict discipline.