Local pols fight for NYPD agents for private schools

Elected officials, parents and public advocates stormed the steps of City Hall on Wednesday, May 27 in support of Into 65 – a bill that would require the NYPD to assign a school safety agent to any school – public or private – that requests one.

“We want to make sure that every single student of New York City that goes to school, whether they go to public school or religious school, is safe,” said Councilmember David Greenfield, the local pol behind the legislation. “That’s why we’re here. And this is a very simple initiative.”

The reality, Greenfield contested, is that – last year – religious hate crimes spiked by 20 percent.

“That’s a scary statistic,” he said. “School violence across the country is up, and we want to make sure every child, regardless of where they go to school, is protected.”

The bill – which has seen overwhelming support from both the community and the City Council (with 46 of 51 members in favor) – would only cost $50 million to implement, and protect approximately 230,000 kids whose private schooling, electeds attest, saves the city $5 billion annually.

The School Safety Division, the agency that oversees the school police force, was formed in 1998 and, today, is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in New York City – and the United States – with approximately 5,000 school safety agents and 200 police officers. 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.

“It’s our responsibility to keep all schoolchildren safe. Whether they attend a public school or a private school, they all deserve the chance to learn in a safe environment,” echoed Bay Ridge Councilmember Vincent Gentile. “We live in uncertain times, with school violence on the rise nationwide. This measure will give parents and students peace of mind that they are safe at school.”

Private schools were quick to agree, no matter their background.

“All of New York City’s school children deserve protection,” said Joseph Rosenberg, director of the Catholic Community Relations Council. “School safety agents are in public schools; they must be placed in nonpublic schools as well.”

Jake Adler, director of policy at the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America Advocacy Center, applauded Greenfield for his leadership on what he called a “crucial” issue.

“We owe it to all our children to ensure that they are safe at school, regardless of the school they attend,” Adler went on. “This bill is simply a matter of fairness and we call upon the entire City Council to pass Intro 65 as quickly as possible.”

 

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.