{"id":283110,"date":"2026-07-01T01:50:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T01:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/283110\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T01:50:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T01:50:09","slug":"new-nyc-law-targets-protesters-near-k-12-schools-but-not-colleges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/283110\/","title":{"rendered":"New NYC law targets protesters near K-12 schools \u2014 but not colleges"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NYPD must now officially report to the City Council about how it prevents protesters from harassing people around K-12 schools \u2014 but not colleges, where most hateful anti-Israel rallies occur<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The council passed legislation Tuesday night requiring the report in response to Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoing a bill <\/a>in April that aimed to create buffer zones around educational institutions including colleges.<\/p>\n

Mamdani said that bill would have restricted free-speech rights.<\/p>\n

An anti-Israel protest at Columbia University\u2019s West Lawn on April 29, 2024. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Proponents of the new law, which was passed with a veto-proof majority, hailed it as still an important step in protecting people. <\/p>\n

But some critics said that while a move in the right direction, it doesn\u2019t go far enough<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere hasn\u2019t been many protests near K-to-12 schools,\u201d a council source said.<\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019s \u201cgood to send a message\u201d to prevent protesters from intimidating students and staffers, the source added.<\/p>\n

The City Council\u2019s revised measure, sponsored by Democratic Councilwoman Elsie Encarnaci\u00f3n of East Harlem, also applies to childcare centers but not to libraries or teaching hospitals.<\/p>\n

Anti-Israel protesters sitting in front of Columbia\u2019s entrance on April 2, 2025. James Keivom<\/p>\n

The new law requires Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to submit a \u201ctransparency report\u201d to the mayor and Council Speaker Julie Menin detailing the NYPD\u2019s policies involving the \u201csecurity perimeters\u201d it sets up around the specified educational facilities.<\/p>\n

The report will include when the NYPD decides to use a security buffer zone and how it ensures such a perimeter \u201cneither curtails the rights to free speech, assembly, or protest, including student walkouts, nor impedes emergency access to, or egress from\u201d the facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis legislation ensures children and families can safely access schools without fear or intimidation while protecting constitutional rights, which are sacrosanct,\u201d Menin said.<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoed a bill in April that would create a buffer zone for protests around New York City schools. Michael Brochstein\/ZUMA \/ SplashNews.com<\/p>\n

Councilman Eric Dinowitz (D-Bronx), a co-sponsor of the bill, said, \u201cEvery child in this city deserves to walk into school without fear of being harassed or intimidated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you\u2019re in 2K or high school, you should be able to get into and out of your school without being grabbed or having epithets hurled at you, and this bill makes sure there\u2019s a clear, public plan to keep students safe while fully protecting every New Yorker\u2019s right to protest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jewish Community Relations Council of New York CEO Mark Treyger called the bill a \u201cmajor victory,\u201d as did the UJA-Federation of New York.<\/p>\n

Follow live updates on Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s socialist agenda and the latest in NYC politics<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cOur tradition teaches that the measure of a society is how it protects its children. This legislation answers that call,\u201d Treyger said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe urgency could not be clearer. One of these early childhood programs operates in a Queens synagogue in Rego Park<\/a> that was targeted in a chilling antisemitic hate crime, with swastikas scrawled across the property. Moments like these remind us that safety cannot begin after a crisis,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt must be built before one.\u201d<\/p>\n

City Council Speaker Julie Menin said the new bill would allow New Yorkers to \u201csafely access schools without fear or intimidation\u201d while allowing people to exercise their constitutional right to protest. ZUMAPRESS.com<\/p>\n

But the council source said the bill is \u201csymbolic\u201d because it excludes colleges and universities where the most violent lawless protests have occurred, such as Columbia University and CUNY\u2019s City College.<\/p>\n

The council also passed another law<\/a> allowing the NYPD to set up buffer zones around synagogues and other houses of worship.<\/p>\n

In addition, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature approved a law establishing a 50-foot buffer zone around houses of worship, including synagogues, churches, mosques or other religious centers to prevent harassment of congregants during protests.<\/p>\n

The new state law creates a new penalty for \u201ccriminal interference with access to a place of religious worship\u201d \u2014 a class B misdemeanor carrying a sentence of up to 90 days in jail and a maximum $500 fine.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverywhere from universities to museums to teaching hospitals could face restrictions,\u201d Mamdani said in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis could impact workers protesting ICE, or college students demanding their school divest from fossil fuels or demonstrating in support of Palestinian rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

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