While many parents say it's important for their kids to be safe in school as it is for them to get a good education, some say the push for school safety can go too far when it comes to those who enforce it. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.

Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers student Mireya Bardales says she admitted to school safety agents she squirted pepper spray on her classroom floor. But she says the agents went over board.

"They arrested me, put the handcuffs on me and took me to the precinct," Bardales said. "I was scared as hell."

"I found it wrong that they put handcuffs on her. Do you know what it is like to be in school and see us young people treated like criminals," said fellow student Genesis Rodriguez.

The New York Civil Liberties Union says too many students are having the cuffs slapped on them by school safety agents as well as police officers stationed at the city's 1,600 public school buildings.

All this week, the organization handed out "know your rights" pamphlets to students around the city.

"School safety officers have the right to stop a kid, detain a kid, frisk a kid, search a kid, handcuff a kid, and arrest a kid. And they do it all the time," said NYCLU Advocacy Director Udi Ofer.

The NYCLU says students have the right to say no and should know to report the names of officers who violate their rights or participate in misconduct.

"You have the case of Chelsea Frazier, a 14-year-old girl who was arrested for writing the word 'Ok' on her desk. You have the case of Dennis Rivera, 5-year-old kid who was handcuffed for throwing a temper tantrum in kindergarten class," Ofer said.

There are 5,100 school safety officers. While they do not carry guns, the roughly 200 police officers in the schools do. The NYCLU is working with the City Council to pass a bill to force the NYPD to publicly report how many students are arrested or disciplined by officers. It also wants educators to be responsible for school safety, not the NYPD.

According to the NYPD, 943 students were arrested on school grounds last year. The department went on to say, "The Civil Liberties Union does a gross disservice to School Safety Agents and police officers who help keep schools safe. The agents and officers do outstanding work, driving crime down in often difficult circumstances."

The civil liberties union says it knows school safety is important, but not every situation calls for a tough response.