The New York Senate District 17 for Progress (NYSD 17 for Progress) last week delivered a letter to the district’s State Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Midwood, Flatbush, Borough Park, Kensington, Sunset Park, Madison, Bensonhurst) expressing opposition to Felder’s proposed legislation, S8827, which would require the presence of armed police officers at all New York City schools.
NYSD 17 for Progress is a grassroots group of individuals who live, work, and attend school within the 17th State Senate District. 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.
While organization is not endorsing a candidate as of yet in the senate race, Blake Morris, who is running against Felder, is a member of the organization.
The letter (and the petition to sign it) were originally circulated in response to 6798A, Felder’s first armed guard bill. The letter quickly collected the endorsements of four parent associations (three in Felder’s District 17), while 300 individuals also signed on, most of whom were parents or teachers, and 40% of whom live in 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.
In an email the organization said the amendments do not change their opposition to the original bill for the following reasons:
- 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, NYSD 17 For Progress opposes the bundling of this controversial call for armed police officers at 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.
The speed camera measure 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, Felder’s bill S8827-A does not have a single cosponsor and no same-as bill in the Assembly, the organization noted.
“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 in 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.”
Felder’s response was his op-ed in today’s KCP.
