Here is a letter sent to the "MS 51 Community" on January 13th from Lenore Berner, the principal of MS 51, about the recent mugging in JJ Byrne Park.
I know that many of you have heard there was an incident in JJ Byrne Park after school yesterday. A 6th grade boy was in the Park around 3:30pm when he was approached by older, possibly high school age students, who asked for money and punched him in the face. The boy and his friends came back to school to get help. We called the police, an ambulance, and the boy’s mom, who all responded quickly.
To insure the safety of all our students, I have urged the 78th Precinct to consistently populate the park with a greater police presence during after school hours. There have not been “several other attacks in recent weeks,” as is the rumor, but we believe police presence would prevent further incidents. We have had only 2 other reports of students ‘getting harassed’ by older kids, outside school, during after school hours this entire school year. However, I would urge your children to be cautious and aware of their surroundings as they travel to and from school. We are in the process of coordinating a Safety Assembly, with the 78th Precinct, to address these issues of ‘street safety’ with all our students.
We take these incidents very seriously and are working with the police to keep our kids safe. Please speak to your child about traveling safely, securing valuable items and being aware of their surroundings. Remind your child that they should always come back to the school if they or their friends need help.
I certainly don’t want to get into a public dispute with the Lenore Berner, but it is absolutely not misleading to say that there have been several other attacks. Since we posted to the Park Slope Parents list we have been contacted by numerous families whose children have been either mugged or harassed this year. Quibbling about numbers won’t solve the problem.