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NEW YORK, NY August 23, 2006 —New York State has identified 17 schools it considers "persistently dangerous," most of them in New York City. WNYC's Beth Fertig has more.

The schools were picked because they had a high number of serious incidents two years in a row. These include robbery, assault, arson, and weapons possession. Last year there were five schools that made the list including one in New York City. This year, there are 17 schools labeled persistently dangerous - 14 of them in New York City.

But the city disputes the state's formula. An education department spokesman says most of those 14 schools are in a special citywide district for students with disabilities and emotional problems. One is located in a psychiatric hospital. The city also claims a large number of incidents involved weapons possession - but that the weapons weren't actually used. Two schools on the list already have metal detectors.

The state education department remains unconvinced, however. A spokesman notes there were dozens of cases of assault and other incidents which occurred on their grounds, saying these are dangerous schools. For WNYC I'm Beth Fertig.