The City Council is set to pave the way for nearly 400 small city religious and private schools to receive millions in taxpayer dollars to add security guards as the Big Apple experiences a surge in hate threats.
Under the new bill, which is expected to sail through the council on Thursday, the city will slash the number of students required to be eligible for the school safety program from 300 to 150.
“It doesn’t matter what type of school their kids attend, public or private, every New York City parent deserves the peace of mind that comes with knowing their children are safe while in school,” said Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn), who sponsored the bill.
“The overwhelming majority of smaller, non-public schools simply can’t afford security guards. Now they won’t have to worry.”
The reduced headcount requirement will allow roughly 384 more schools to apply for the reimbursement program, providing funding for guards at private city learning institutions with about 100,000 students.
The $19.8 million program is expected to double to $40 million if signed into law by Mayor Eric Adams.
The bill is expected to easily pass the full City Council on Thursday afternoon with a nearly veto-proof majority of co-sponsors.
“The passage of this critical expansion of Local Law 2 represents a big step in protecting more of our students, including those that attend Jewish, Islamic, and Catholic schools – which is especially critical at this time when faith-based crimes are at an all-time high,” said Sydney Altfield, Teach NYS Executive Director.