De Blasio Signs $20M Spending Bill For Security Guards At Private, Religious Schools
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio has signed a bill to spend up to $20 million on security guards and private and religious schools.
De Blasio signed the bill Tuesday. He said believe it will help the police and other agencies "keep our communities safer.''
The City Council voted 43 to 4 last month to reimburse non-public schools with at least 300 students for expenses to hire unarmed security guards.
The New York Civil Liberties Union said the bill amounted to unconstitutional government support for religious institutions.
NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman called the new program a thinly-veiled way to pander to what she called the 'religious lobby,' WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
"Sending $20 million dollars to private and parochial schools is entirely unnecessary and its bad public policy," Lieberman said. "It's bad because it takes away from public education money and it's bad because it's spending tax payer money for religious education."
Bummer: @NYCMayorsOffice just signed bill for $20m in pork to religious schools -- not #progressive. Remember #churchstate separation? ARGH
— Donna Lieberman (@JustAskDonna) January 5, 2016
But Allen Fagin, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, called Tuesday's bill signing a victory for thousands of families.
Councilman David Greenfield (D-44th) said all public school students are already protected and now nearly two hundred thousand non-public school students will be as well.
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