Res 0629-2026

Res. No. 629 ..Title Resolution calling upon United States Congress and the President to establish of a National School Safety Task Force charged with developing actionable recommendations to promote secure access systems, sufficient safety staffing, comprehensive stakeholder training, and formal protections for school leaders ..Body By Council Member Morano Whereas, School administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running schools deserve to be able to do their work in their places of employment without fear for their own safety; and Whereas, Nationally, the disturbing spike in assaults, harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school leaders and their staff, both in person and online, has undermined and destabilized the rightful ability of public schools to be the safe, healthy and welcoming spaces; and Whereas, A survey by the National Association of Secondary School Principals found that 70% of school leaders reported at least one verbal and threatening or physical violence incident during the 2021–2022 school year; and Whereas, Every school supervisor has the professional responsibility to provide a safe and secure learning environment for students, and that environment is irreparably harmed when threats of violence are made against school supervisors; and Whereas, According to a 2025 report from RAND, most threats against schools are made anonymously on various social media platforms commonly used by youth, and requires a federal law enforcement response to trace and charge offenders; and Whereas, In 2021, the United States attorney general issued a memorandum calling for partnership among federal, state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement to address threats against school administrators, board members, teachers and staff, and further directed that a series of meetings be convened to facilitate the discussion of strategies for addressing said threats and opening dedicated lines of communication for threat reporting, assessment, and response; and Whereas, In 2022, the American Federation of School Administrators issued a resolution in support of the memorandum and called for Congress to enforce policies that protect school leaders from threats, harassment, and physical intimidation by any individual; and Whereas, The resolution also called on Congress to establish of a National School Safety Task Force charged with developing actionable recommendations to promote secure access systems, sufficient safety staffing, comprehensive stakeholder training, and formal protections for school leaders; and Whereas, A national survey conducted by the National Education Association found that 81% of educators say that students are acting out and misbehaving post-pandemic, and because of this behavior, staff have experienced increased levels of stress and burnout, contributing to nationwide staffing shortages; and Whereas, According to New York City Police Department data, felony assaults in New York City schools have increased 5% over in the first half of this year with 109 serious assaults in the first half of the year, up from 103 in the same period the previous year; and Whereas, Research has shown that school leadership and administrative staffing shortages cause declines in school climate stability and the operational strain often trickles down to classrooms and student support systems; and Whereas, These staffing shortages are impacting school districts across the United States and require a national-level response; and Whereas, With the majority of threats coming from online sources and the national school staffing shortage, federal leadership and coordination are necessary to improve protections for school leaders; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on United States Congress and the President to establish of a National School Safety Task Force charged with developing actionable recommendations to promote secure access systems, sufficient safety staffing, comprehensive stakeholder training, and formal protections for school leaders. KS LS 24431 8/21/2026 12:31 PM