The New York City Council recently introduced several bills advocating to fully eliminate School Safety Agents from our schools.

School Safety Agents are the frontline in keeping NYC students and the school community safe. They routinely confiscate weapons and keep those who could harm students outside the school doors. They nurture and maintain the safe environment necessary for our kids to learn and thrive. Unfortunately, some are demonizing the very people who have dedicated their lives to protecting kids.

During 2018 and 2019, New York City School Safety Agents confiscated 2,701 weapons that were being brought into schools. Yet, the New York City Council is currently gambling with the safety of our children by proposing bills to transfer School Safety Agents from the NYPD to the Department of Education. The legislation would limit the effectiveness of the 5,038 School Safety Agents, 70 percent of whom are women, mostly Black and Latinas.

Some City Council Members want to remove School Safety Agents, who have provided extraordinary service, keeping our one million students out of harm’s way. Parents and other New Yorkers rightfully demand that we protect our children by keeping our school safety agents.

More than any other group of NYPD employees, SSAs truly reflect the communities they serve. They are our mothers, fathers, sisters, grandmothers, and neighbors. They earn our thanks every day. We owe it to them and our kids to give SSAs the respect, tools, and training they need to do their jobs right.