One morning this fall, my son became the victim of a violent incident in his school: one of the thousands that happen every year at New York City Public Schools.

An eighth grader assaulted my 9 year old son and the school he attended did nothing to help. The older boy was allowed to stay in school and his parents didn’t receive so much as a phone call.

I went to this school when I was a child, and I never thought this could ever happen there.

According to the state Department of Education, school violence is up a stunning 23%, and 2015 was the most violent year on record in the New York City public school system.

Let’s call this what it is: a school system in a state of emergency.

New York City public schools are not living up to their most basic mandate: providing a safe learning environment for every child.

Sign the pledge to call on our leaders to end this crisis of school violence.

- Samantha Silva, NYC parent