Metro

Critics question astonishing crime drop at city schools

The number of city schools on the state’s “persistently dangerous” list plunged from 27 in 2015 to just four this year — an astounding drop that critics claim is a mirage.

While the city Department of Education lauded the numbers Tuesday, Gregory Floyd, president of the school safety-agents union, charged that the drop stems more from statistical sorcery than vanishing crime.

“With the stroke of a pencil and an eraser, you can do anything you want,” he said of the eye-popping decrease. “There’s pressure to not report what’s going on under this administration.”

The drastically shortened list comes after 37 city schools were deemed “persistently dangerous” in 2014 and 25 in 2013. A total of 14 city schools were on the list in 2012, according to state Education Department officials.

The four remaining city campuses on the list are all elementary schools — two in Brooklyn, one in Queens and one in The Bronx.

“You’re trying to tell me that not one high school in the City of New York was persistently dangerous last year?” Floyd asked. “Only elementary schools?”

But the city Education Department countered that a vastly improved school climate — stemming from relaxed suspensions and increased student engagement — produced massive gains in the war on school crime.

“We are dedicated to ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for all students and we’ve expanded social-emotional supports that address underlying issues head-on,” Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said.

The state saddles schools with the “persistently dangerous” tag based on a formula based on their size and the frequency of various crimes, including sex assault and weapons possession. Schools are deemed persistently dangerous if they score a 1.5 or above on the School Violence Index over the course of two consecutive years or have an SVI of 0.5 along with 60 or more violent incidents.

Under federal law, students in “persistently dangerous” schools are allowed to transfer to another school upon request.

The DOE denied Floyd’s claims of being pressured to ignore incidents.

“Reporting incidents is not an option, it’s a requirement,” said spokeswoman Devora Kaye.