PASSAIC Catholic schools in the Paterson Diocese will be much safer, thanks to legislation that will provide an additional $11.3 million in security funding to non-public schools across the state. The new law doubles the amount of security funding per student from $75 to $150 for non-public schools. The expanded state funding will allow non-public schools to update and strengthen the security at their schools.
It is estimated about 150,000 students attend a non-public school in N.J. In the Diocese of Pateson, all Catholic elementary, middle schools and high schools will benefit from this new law.
State legislators gathered with Gov. Phil Murphy in the auditorium of the YBH of Passaic-Hillel, a k-8 Jewish school here, which was filled with students from many religious schools, along with their teachers and parents.
“Working with our partners in the Legislature, we are taking significant steps to dramatically improve security measures for New Jersey’s children and families,” said Gov. Phil Murphy. “I am proud to sign two bills into law that help ensure that anyone visiting a school, house of worship, or community center may be free of fear and intimidation.”
Present from the Paterson Diocesan Schools Office to witness the governor sign the legislation into law were Mary Baier, diocesan superintendent of schools; Deborah Duane, associate superintendent; and Patrick Peace, director of government programs and networking. Also attending were students from St. Gerard School in Paterson; DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne; St. Brendan School in Clifton; St. Anthony School in Hawthorne and the Academy of St. James in Totowa.
They witnessed Gov. Murphy sign into law bill A4597 for non-public school security and bill A3906, which revises the N.J. Nonprofit Security Grant Pilot Program to expand the type of protective measures that can be installed or constructed in churches and community centers.
“This is a monumental accomplishment for all of us who learn or serve at our Catholic schools to improve the safety and security in our schools,” said Baier. “Having our children feel safe in our schools is of the upmost importance.”
“Keeping all of New Jersey’s children safe is our number one responsibility as parents, leaders in the community, and legislators,” said State Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-36). “The allocated funds will double the amount spent on security services, equipment or technology, and will ensure a safe and secure school environment for all students.”
For several years, Catholic and other religious school advocates have lobbied for more security funding to keep schools safe and to have security funding more in line with the public schools, which receive $205 per student for security funding. With the increase in hate crimes in the recent years targeting religious institutions, including the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh last October, the passage of these two bills was critical. Both bills passed the state legislature unanimously.
“We have witnessed a disturbing increase in the number of incidents of hate and bigotry based on race, religion and ethnicity and the targets include churches, synagogues, mosques and non-profit agencies that serve the needs of the most vulnerable, including families and children,” said State Sen. Joseph Cryan (D-20), former Sherriff of Union County. “We can’t ignore these threats and we should not tolerate any acts of violence or intimidation. This new law will help places of worship and other non-profit service organizations to better protect themselves so they can continue to serve our communities without fear. We will not allow any expressions of hate or discrimination to prevail. As Americans, we value our diversity, our freedoms and our security."
One of the many parents who attended the signing ceremony was Lissette Makino, who has a son who is a student at St. Anthony School in Hawthorne and another who is a student at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City. She said, “A lot of parents were unaware that such a bill existed to increase funding for security. I am definitely happy this will be happening, especially since both my sons attend Catholic schools.”
With this increased funding for security now available, Leila Pappas, principal of the Academy of St. James in Totowa, said, “This will allow us to make some substantial increases to our security at our school and to become more current with latest security and safety measures that are available.”