Teach CA, a project of the Orthodox Union, applauded the California legislature for authorizing a $2 million grant program for non-profit institutions to upgrade security equipment.

Teach CA has advocated for legislation (AB 927) that would establish a $10 million security allocation in the state budget. Teach CA helped draft the legislation, traveled to Sacramento to lobby on behalf of the bill and testify, and activated its grassroots activists in support of the bill.

“Thanks to the hard work of our grassroots activists, the California legislature felt compelled to increase security funding for faith-based institutions,” said Michael Buchman, co-chair of Teach CA. “The $2 million grant is an important start to keeping all our children safe in California, but more needs to be done. We will work to ensure our network of schools benefit from this $2 million grant and continue to work next year for full funding to protect all our children.”

“We applaud the State of California for responding to an urgent security need in religious communities,” said Scott Krieger, co-chair of Teach CA. “This is a good first step, and a demonstration of what is possible when the community gets involved. We will continue to work with the legislature to make sure all our children can go to school in a safe environment.”

“The $2 million grant is an important step in protecting religious organizations who are vulnerable to hate crimes and attacks,” said Maury Litwack, executive director of the Teach Advocacy Network. “The rise in threats over the past couple of months makes it clear that more must be done to protect all our citizens. Teach CA looks forward to working with the legislature next year to meet the security needs of California’s nonpublic schools.”

(YWN Headquarters – NYC)