Cross section joins OU in bid for school safety funds

Hundreds of parents and children from Jewish, Catholic, Muslim and other non-public schools joined on the steps of New York City Hall with dozens of City Council members on Wednesday to demonstrate that all schoolchildren — public and non-public alike — deserve to be safe at school.

The group rallied for the passage of Intro 65, a bill now before City Council, which would provide the same uniformed NYPD School Safety Agents to a non-public school that a public school receives.

Intro 65 is sponsored by Boro Park-Midwood Councilman David Greenfield and has 46 co-sponsors.

“When it comes to the safety of our children, it doesn’t matter what their religious beliefs are or whether they go to public or non-public schools,” said Greenfield. “The reality is that there is a need for public safety for our children.”

Allen Fagin, Executive Vice President and CEO of the Orthodox Union, noted that the entire non-public school community has united around the issue of school safety.

“The safety of our children is not a political issue, it’s an issue of basic decency and fairness,” he said. “We stand together to demand that that the City Council passes Intro 65 to protect all of our children.”

“The Orthodox Union applauds Council Member David Greenfield for his leadership on this crucial issue,” said Maury Litwack, OU Director of State Political Affairs. “We owe it to all our children to ensure that they are safe at school, regardless of the school they attend. The Orthodox Union will continue to work with our allies in the Council to see this legislation approved.”

At the end of April, OU Advocacy-Teach NYS, the nonpartisan public policy arm of the Orthodox Union, launched the New York City School Safety Coalition to support school safety for all of New York City’s schoolchildren.

The Coalition, which specifically backs Intro 65, includes the UJA-Federation of New York, the Archdiocese of New York, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and the Islamic Schools Association of New York.