Officials responsible for the daily operation of Piedmont Avenue Elementary School have failed to deliver a safe learning environment for the young students that attend classes there. Young Zachary Cataldo first suffered the loss of four teeth in one incident on the playground whereupon he was picked up and twirled around and thrown on the playground by an older student. In another incident he was punched in the stomach. Just recently, in a third incident, he has sustained a skull fracture from an attack on him while he was waiting for his ride after school.
Allegedly, Piedmont Avenue Elementary is known for violence and there appears to be no resolution to this inexcusable problem. The San Francisco Chronicle refers to this school as a danger zone, among others.
One key principal to reduce death and injury in children is to restructure the environment to improve safety. Prevention from injury related to non-accidental injury requires supervision. Supervision is a key factor in preventing children from becoming victims of crime on school grounds. The educators claim they can’t supervise before and after-school activities and the parents are responsible for watching their children after-school. When so many children are enduring assaults in this school, at what point does it become moral neglect and a failure to protect?
