Community Magazine May 2013

EASTERN SILVER OF BORO PARK TRADITION . EXCELLENCE . SERVICE EXPERT REPAIR POLISHING & LACQUERING 4901 16TH AVENUE BROOKLYN, N.Y. 11204 | TEL 718.854.5600 OPEN SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY 11:00-7:00 FRIDAY 11:00-1:30 WWW.EASTERNSILVERUSA.COM EASTERN SILVER OF BORO PARK Fontana Unified School District police purchased 14 Colt rifles. The high-powered weapons were distributed among 14 school policemen, who received 40 hours of training how to use them. The firearms are kept in a fireproof safe in the police station, and the officers must sign them out during each shift. In many instances these guards also pack sidearms. Ironically, the rifles were delivered just a week before the Newtown shootings, One high-ranking officer conceded to the media that the plan is far from foolproof, noting that the police split their time among 44 schools. Still, authorities say that these armed school guards could prevent a massacre. Fontana isn’t alone. Armed school security personnel have been employed in other California districts for many years, and similar plans are in place in other states. A Michigan law is working its way through the state legislature to permit Concealed Pistol License (CPL) holders to bring guns into schools, with the proviso that they receive appropriate training. In mid-March, officials in Georgia ended bans on guns in bars, churches, and college classrooms, and South Dakota responded to the Newtown killings by passing the first law in the United States specifically intended to permit school districts to arm teachers. Teachers in Utah and Texas are already permitted to carry guns, and, in fact, the Utah Shooting Sports Council recently organized a free instructional event in which 200 Utah teachers learned how to safely handle firearms. In Texas, the $85 fee for the Concealed Handgun License course was recently waived for 400 teachers. Teachers and other adults are allowed to carry guns to school in 18 states, though in most instances some kind of advanced authorization is required (see sidebar). According to the latest Department of Education survey, nearly a third of America’s 23,000 schools already have armed guards. A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that more than twice as manyAmericans are in favor of armed security guards in schools, than not. OUR STUDENTS, OUR COMMUNITY Turning our attention to our own backyard, what can be done to protect students in our community? Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind feels that the answer is tighter security measures, which will discourage potential intruders from infiltrating a school or synagogue. “Many public schools have security guards,” Hikind says, “[and] many are armed. You can’t just go walking around in the school; it’s difficult to do that. Sometimes it’s an officer, sometimes it’s a security person. Sometimes you have to pass through a person standing at a locked door.” Unfortunately, he laments, our community is wanting in security apparatuses, leaving hazardous security gaps that desperately need addressing. On Feb. 5, Hikind met representatives of the Agudath Israel of America, along with representatives of several boroughs and local communities, to discuss ways to improve security for our schools, and to secure more funding for this purpose. “We’re getting more cameras for the Boro Park community,” the Assemblyman reports, “and a lot of those will be in the vicinity of schools. There’s no reason why the issue of fair funding for schools should not apply to security, especially in the Jewish community where there’s always a threat. Thank Gd, nothing’s 36 Community Magazine