Currently, section 528 of the New York City Charter provides that the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, in consultation with the New York Police Department (“NYPD”), may install security cameras and door alarms in certain areas of public schools or consolidated schools that the city Department of Education operates. This bill adds a new part to section 528 that provides that the Chancellor, after consulting with the NYPD and school principals, may adopt any additional election-day school security measures that the Chancellor considers appropriate for the protection of students and staff when any such schools are used as polling places on any election day. This bill also makes certain corrections to the current section 528.
- Filed (End of Session)
History
Int. No. 630
By Council Members Levine, Mendez, Rose, Rodriguez and Rosenthal
A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to improving security in schools on election days.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Section 528 of the charter of the city of New York is hereby amended to read as follows:
§ 528 Increasing security measures[The installation and operation of security cameras and other security measures] in New York city public schools.
a. Installation of security cameras and door alarms. The department of education, in consultation with the police department, shall install security cameras and door alarms at schools and consolidated school locations operated by the department of education where the chancellor, in consultation with the police department, deems such cameras and door alarms appropriate for safety purposes. Such cameras may be placed at the entrance and exit doors of each school and may be placed in any area of the school where individuals do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. The number, type, placement, and location of such cameras within each school shall be at the discretion of the department of education, in consultation with the principal of each school and the police department. Door alarms may be placed at the discretion of the department of education, in consultation with the police department, at the exterior doors of school buildings under the jurisdiction of the department of education, including buildings serving grades pre-kindergarten through five or a district 75 program. Such alarms should provide an audible alert indicating an unauthorized departure from the school building. For the purposes of this section, "district 75 program" shall mean a department of education program that provides educational, vocational, and behavioral support programs for students with severe disabilities from pre-kindergarten through age twenty-one.
b. Schedule of installation for cameras. The department of education, in consultation with the police department, shall set the priorities for installation of cameras as set forth in subdivision a to include among other appropriate factors consideration of the level of violence in schools, as determined by the police department and the department of education. By the end of two thousand six, the potential installation of cameras shall have been reviewed for all schools under the jurisdiction of the department of education, including elementary schools. At the end of two thousand six, the department of education shall submit a report to the city council indicating, for each school under its jurisdiction, the findings of the review and the reasons for the findings contained therein.
c. Schedule of installation for door alarms. The department of education, in consultation with the police department, shall evaluate and set priorities for the installation of door alarms, as set forth in subdivision a. By May thirtieth, two thousand fifteen, the department of education shall complete such evaluation for all schools under its jurisdiction, including buildings serving grades pre-kindergarten through five or a district 75 program. By such date, the department of education shall submit a report to the speaker of the council that describes the results of the evaluation conducted pursuant to this subdivision, including, but not limited to, a list of the school buildings where the installation of door alarms has been deemed to be an appropriate safety measure and a timeline for such installation.
d. Training. Not later than May thirtieth, two thousand fifteen, and annually thereafter, the department of education shall submit to the speaker of the council a report regarding training on student safety protocols for department of education personnel. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) general details on the type and scope of the training administered, (2) the intended audience for each training, and (3) whether such training was mandatory for certain personnel.
e. Enhanced security on election days.
1. For any school or consolidated school location operated by the department of education that has been designated as a polling place pursuant to section 4-104 of the New York state election law and that will be used as a polling place for any general, special or primary election, the department of education shall adopt any enhanced election day security procedures that the chancellor, in consultation with the police department and the principal(s) of the relevant school(s), deems appropriate for the protection of the students and faculty. Where consistent with applicable fire, safety and accessibility regulations and any other applicable law, such security measures may include locking internal doors and relocating or rescheduling student classes or lunch periods to minimize contact between the voting public and school staff or students. Such security measures shall not interfere with student attendance at polling locations pursuant to section 8-106 of the New York state election law.
2. This section does not affect the discretion of the commissioner of the police department pursuant to subsection six of section 8-104 of the New York state election law.
§ 2. This local law shall take effect 60 days after it shall have become a law.
kac
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1/2/2015 12:45 PM