Speaker Menon to narrow policing‑transparency bill to early childhood and K–2 sites

Speaker Julie Menon announced that the City Council will introduce amended legislation to narrow a policing‑transparency bill intended to protect students from disruptions outside schools.

The amended measure, Menon said during the stated meeting, will specifically define covered educational facilities as early childhood education sites and most kindergarten through second‑grade schools and will explicitly exclude libraries, teaching hospitals, and colleges and universities. "We're taking steps that will result in greater consensus among council members as well as the public at large," Menon said, framing the change as a way to focus protections on "the students who are most vulnerable."

Under the proposed amendment, the New York Police Department would be required to publish its plans for policing protests outside covered schools whenever there is a risk of intimidation, obstruction, or physical injury. Menon said transparency would allow the mayor, the council, and the public to review plans and hold the NYPD accountable while preserving peaceful protest rights.

Menon cited recent data on anti‑Semitic incidents to underline the urgency of the package: she said 2025 incidents targeting the Jewish community comprised nearly 60% of reported hate crimes despite the community representing less than 12% of New Yorkers, and that the council's five‑point plan responds to a "deplorable surge" in that bias.

The Speaker said the council will introduce the amended bill and hold a hearing in the coming weeks to refine definitions and solicit further input. The hearing will be the next procedural step before any final vote.