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December 16, 2010

City Council Considers School Safety Act

By  Annmarie Fertoli / WNYC Public Radio


The New York City Council is considering a bill that would require the Police Department and the Department of Education to release reports on disciplinary actions taken at city schools, like arrests, summonses and suspensions.

Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the Student Safety Act** will provide greater transparency for policy makers, education advocates and the public.

"This will give us a basis to give the city's leadership — the mayor, the police commissioner, the schools chancellor — a report card on school climate, and that's long overdue," said Lieberman. She said the bill breaks down the data demographically, providing a clearer picture.

"If there are racial disparities, as we believe there are, if there are gender disparities, if there are ethnic disparities, if children with special needs are ending up arrested when they should be getting support services, everybody needs to know that," she said.

In a statement, the DOE said it's proud of its school safety record, and that it's worked closely with the city council and the NYPD to craft the legislation.

In written testimony submitted to the city council, the NYPD said it shares the goal of keeping students and school personnel safe -- and believes the bill a has created a "reasonable mechanism" for providing information.

The city council could vote on the measure as early as Monday.

**Spearheaded by Make the Road New York and allies.


More on: Public Education 

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Victory for Immigrant Families: Preventing Unjust Deportations in NYC

On March 18, 2013, Mayor Bloomberg signed new legislation to stop federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using NYC’s criminal justice system to deport thousands of New Yorkers.

Building on legislation we helped to win just over a year ago, Local Laws 21 and 22 prohibit not only the Department of Correction but now also the NYPD from spending millions of city taxpayer dollars to hold individuals on behalf of ICE agents for detention and deportation. Each year, thousands of New York families will stay together who would otherwise have been torn apart by overly aggressive, indiscriminate immigration enforcement.

At a moment when the country is debating immigration reform, with these laws, New York City sends a clear message to Washington that tearing apart thousands of immigrant families is bad policy.

With your support, we look forward to winning national reform that keeps families together. We thank our partners at the Center for Popular Democracy, the Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic and the bills’ sponsors, NYC Council Speaker Quinn and Council Member Mark-Viverito, for their courageous leadership.


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