City threatens to close problem school

Posted at: 10/27/2009 8:56 PM | Updated at: 10/28/2009 7:15 AM
By: Jeff Maher, Eyewitness News 4; Matthew Kappus, KOB.com

Youth Build Trade and Technology School

Albuquerque city officials are prepared to shut down a charter school if the principal can't find a way to stop students from harassing people.

The Youth Build Trade and Technology School near Yale and Gibson has had a history of problems with its students, who are mainly dropouts or at-risk. Many neighbors who live near the school have had enough and want to see the school boarded up.

Robyn Duffy lives just up the street. Recently, she was pushing her newborn baby in a stroller near the sidewalk in front of her house when a car full of students came racing toward them and did a doughnut in the intersection. The students were laughing.

Duffy said that was the last straw.

"I mean, that's my baby, I just had him. He's 13 weeks old. I'll be damned if he's harmed in any way. That was it, that's when I made my phone call," she said.

Duffy is not the only neighbor to complain to the city. In fact, police reports on the school are piling up. Other complaints include students throwing fireworks at neighborhood dogs, graffiti sprayed on backyard walls, drug use, fighting, littering, smoking, blocking streets and overall intimidation of the neighborhood.

"I experienced something that I don't ever want to occur again," Duffy said.

Duffy and many other neighbors may just get their wish. The city's chief public safety officer, Pete Dinelli, says they are considering a lawsuit to shut the charter school down.

"Consequently, we're hoping to reach out to the charter school to see if we can come to a resolution of the problems short of having to file a lawsuit," he said.

City officials plan on meeting with the charter school board within the next week to see what kind of solutions they can offer. We left messages with the principal of the school, but our calls weren't returned.

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