BROOKLYN, NY – On Friday, June 8, 2018, New York Senate District 17 for Progress (NYSD 17 for Progress) delivered a letter to Sen. Simcha Felder expressing opposition to S8827, Sen. Felder’s second attempt this legislative session to require the presence of armed police officers at all New York City schools.
The letter (and the petition to sign it) were originally circulated in response to 6798A, Sen. Felder’s first armed guard bill. The letter quickly collected the endorsements of four parent associations (three in Sen. Felder’s District 17), while 300 individuals also signed on, most of whom were parents or teachers, and 40% of whom live in Sen. Felder’s district.
The newly issued S8827 proposes allowing schools to opt out of the armed guard requirement under certain excessively onerous conditions, while also tying that measure to unrelated legislation, such as speed cameras around schools and high-occupancy vehicle lanes on the Williamsburg Bridge.
NYSD 17 for Progress responded:
These amendments do not change our opposition to the original bill (6798A). Here’s why:
Schools should not need to go to great lengths to avoid having weapons brought onto the premises. The bill states that in order to opt out, the school would need the recommendation of the principal and the parents’ association, and the request would have to be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the appropriate Community District Education Council.
The mandate for armed police officers in schools has not been properly vetted by study of the efficacy of these measures.
There has been no call for input from affected populations, including parents, teachers, students, administrators, and community members.
In addition, we oppose the bundling of this controversial call for armed police officers at New York City schools with the overwhelmingly popular school speed camera initiative. The primary speed camera legislation, S6046-C, has bipartisan support from a majority of Senators, currently at 33 co-sponsors including Senators Golden, Ritchie, and Stewart-Cousins. It also passed the Assembly last year by an overwhelming margin and has more than 40 co-sponsors (A7798-C) and has the support of more than 300 coalition partners, including more than 90 schools and PTAs, 23 yeshivas in Felder’s district, four NYC district attorneys, the NYPD, major hospitals in the city, and more. By comparison, Senator Felder’s bill S8827-A does not have a single cosponsor and no same-as bill in the Assembly.
“Felder’s proposals would affect every student and every school in New York City,” said parent Natasha Wimmer of Kensington, in the Senator’s district. “Whether it passes or not, we object to him diverting attention from the real safety needs of our children.”
Julio Peña III, an education advocate and non-profit worker from Sunset Park who lives and works in Senator Felder’s district, stated, “As someone who works in a high school, this deeply concerns me. Walking past armed guards as I enter a school building will not make me or students feel safe, but only fuel the rhetoric that schools are furthering the school-to-prison pipeline, especially in disadvantaged communities.”
The bottom line: parents, educators, and concerned citizens oppose a mandate for armed police officers in New York City schools. (See the NYSD 17 for Progress letter, attached).
NYSD 17 for Progress is a grassroots group of individuals who live, work, and attend school within New York State Senate District 17. The group was founded in 2016, and is focused on promoting transparent communication by elected officials and progressive policies and legislation that will improve the lives of all NYSD 17 residents.
Dear Senator Felder,
As parents, students, teachers, administrators, and concerned citizens in NY Senate District 17 and around New York City, we would like to express our opposition to your Senate Bill 6798A, which requires an armed police officer to be present at schools within the City of New York during instructional hours. While there may be some schools that could benefit from such a measure, the evidence shows that the majority will not, and it is misguided to impose this policy on all schools.
In the wake of the Parkland shooting in Florida, and at a moment when the nation is grappling with the question of how best to protect our children, we believe that it is important to resist the impulse to bring guns into our schools. We stand with the children of Parkland in their call for better solutions: more gun regulation, stronger background checks, more school counselors, and more mental health support.
New York City schools are already provided with safety officers, who are not armed. We appreciate their vigilance, dedication, and professionalism. The great majority of their time is spent greeting students and parents and acting as the public face of the school. They don’t need a gun to fulfill these functions. If they were armed, their presence would be threatening rather than welcoming. It is important to remember, too, that armed guards do not guarantee our children’s safety. In the Parkland shooting, an armed guard was present but never encountered the shooter.
Ample evidence shows that the presence of armed officers at schools takes a toll on students. As New York City students reported to Mayor de Blasio at a March 8 town hall, they already feel criminalized by strict security. If police officers replace safety officers, students who commit minor, nonviolent infractions may end up being arrested rather than appropriately disciplined. This criminalization of school discipline disproportionately affects black and Latino students, who are more likely to be caught up in what has been called the school-to-prison pipeline.
Immediately after the Parkland mass shooting, New York State Senators introduced four important gun safety bills. The bills would have implemented effective background checks, established extreme risk protection orders, banned bump stocks, and created a Firearm Violence Research Institute. You did not vote to support these bills, and they failed to pass. If you truly share our concern for our children’s safety, we hope that in the future you will support and advance crucial gun safety laws instead of calling for armed guards in our schools.
Sincerely,
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New York Senate District 17 for Progress
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PS 217 Parents Association
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PS 134 Parents Association
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PS 139 Parents Association
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Neighborhood School (PS 363) PTA
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335 Individual Citizens that include
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128 constituents
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244 Parents
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61 Teachers
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8 School Administrators
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Felder Tracker 
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