Today, Councilman David G. Greenfield and his colleagues from the City Council held a school safety rally alongside parochial schools, private schools, and various Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim community leaders. Councilman Greenfield was joined by members of the Council – Chaim Deutsch, the Chair of Subcommittee for Non-Public Schools, Andy King, Andrew Cohen, Mark Treyger, Robert Cornegy, Rory Lancman, and Mathieu Eugene. The rally for school safety featured Councilman Greenfield’s legislation, Introduction 65, guaranteeing non-public schools a NYPD school safety agent at the school’s request. The legislation addresses the most basic need for all students attending school in New York City, a safe learning environment.

“All of New York’s children deserve to be safe and protected when they go to school. We cannot afford to play politics with our children’s safety. We need to get all schools, Catholic and Muslim, Jewish and independent schools, the protection they deserve as soon as possible before it is too late,” said Councilman Greenfield.

Introduction 65 has received overwhelming support from both the community and a super majority of the Council: as of today, 46 of 51 members have signed onto Greenfield’s bill. The bill has received additional support from the Catholic Community Relations Council, the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, the Archdiocese of New York, the Muslim Community Network, the Islamic Schools Association of New York and the NYS Association of Independent Schools.

Participating members in attendance include David Zweibel, Executive Vice-President of Agudath Israel of America, Rafeek Mohammed, President of the Islamic Schools Association, Joe Rosenberg, Director for the Catholic Archdiocese, Joy Jones, Principal of Ebenezer Preparatory School, Jeff Leb, Director for UJA Federation, Brother Ahmed Hamid, the Al-Noor School of Brooklyn, Debbie Klugmann, Director for Bais Yaakov of Boro Park, Barri Spitzer, District Manager for Community Board 12, Rabbi Stuart Klammer, Headmaster for Shulamith School of Brooklyn for Girls, and Rabbi David Neiderman for UJA of Williamsburg.

Greenfield’s legislation would require the NYPD to assign a school safety agent to any school, public or private, that requests one. Although school safety agents are unarmed, they are trained by and work for the NYPD in full uniform and are equipped with police radios that give them a direct link to the NYPD.

The rally took place in advance of a joint-hearing including City Council’s Public Safety Committee chaired by Council Member Vanessa Gibson, the Committee on Education chaired by Councilman Daniel Dromm, and the subcommittee for Non-Public Schools chaired by Councilman Chaim Deutsch. Before the bill can go to the full Council for a vote, it must be first heard in committee.

“Every student needs a safe environment to learn,” said Chair of the Committee on Public Safety Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson (D-16th District, Bronx). “With bias and nonbiased related violence on the rise in schools around the country, we need to be creative in our approach to school safety while remaining vigilant against those who would do our children harm. Providing both public and non-public schools the option of asking for an unarmed school safety agent has the potential to preserve the educational climate of the classroom while protecting the safety of every student.”

“Our non-public students represent more than 25% of the 1.4 million schoolchildren in New York City. In these unsettling times, it is imperative that we do all we can to ensure protection for ALL New York City children. Intro 65 is an essential step towards safeguarding and securing each and every precious young life,” said Councilmember Chaim Deutsch, Chair of the Subcommittee for Non-Public Schools

“Our city has an obligation to keep every one of our children safe, regardless of what kind of school they attend. The frightening rise in religiously motivated attacks in New York City and around the world has made sectarian schools more vulnerable than ever, and this bill would provide students at such institutions a measure of much-needed protection,” said Councilmember Mark Levine, Chair of the Jewish Caucus.

“Jewish schools in New York City and around the world face a barrage of threats from terrorists and anti-Semites,” said Council Member Rory I. Lancman. “These students — indeed, all students at nonpublic schools — deserve the same protection provided by our school safety officers that public schools students receive,” said Councilmember Rory Lancman from Queens.

(YWN Desk – NYC)