'All of our children deserve to be safe. Students should be learning math, not massacre,' said BP Adams.
In the wake of the recent school shooting last Friday in Santa Fe, Texas, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams called on the city to provide security guard funding for every school across the five boroughs, regardless of the type or size of the school. The borough president was joined yesterday by Councilmembers Robert Cornegy, Jr. and Antonio Reynoso, as well as representatives from various schools, educators, parents and students from across the borough at a rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
"All of our children deserve to be safe. Students should be learning math, not massacre," said Adams. "Our tax dollars should support all of our children. A crazed gunman doesn't care how big a school is before they attack. I ask the City Council to pass an expanded law that ensures all schools in our city can cover the cost of security to keep their facilities safe."
Adams called on the city to revise a bill currently under consideration which, if passed, would allocate funding for school security to all non-public schools, yet excluding religious schools with fewer than 300 students and charter schools in private spaces. These schools, serving more than 75,000 students citywide, are currently forced to choose between funding basic security services and classroom resources such as staff and supplies, stated Adams.
"The nearly 1,000 students at Northside and Williamsburg charter high schools should receive the same funding for security that the rest of my district enjoys," said Councilmember Reynoso. "They are all our kids."
And Councilmember Cornegy added,"New York City can no longer afford to play favorites with our students' security."
