16 Oct Teach NYS Secures $1 Million in Security Grants for 7 New York Day Schools
NEW YORK – Teach NYS, a nonpartisan organization advocating for equitable funding in New York nonpublic schools, helped secure $1.05 million in security grants through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for seven local day schools. Those schools include: Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (Cedarhurst, NY); Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns & Rockaway (Cedarhurst, NY); Rambam Mesivta (Lawrence, NY); the Brandeis School (Lawrence, NY); Magen David (Brooklyn, NY); the Jewish Foundation School (Staten Island, NY); and the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School for Girls (Staten Island, NY).
The funding was awarded through DHS’s FY 2018 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which supports target hardening and physical security enhancements at nonprofit organizations that are at a higher risk of a terrorist attack. Each of the schools above were awarded $150,000 in NSGP funds that will be used for security upgrades and enhancements both inside and outside of their schools.
The Government Maximization Department of Teach NYS, which helps nonpublic schools access a wide range of government programs, worked tirelessly to field questions, write and review the proposals for schools and shuls across the country.
“Today, schools have become targets for mass shootings and as the threat of terrorism proliferates, it is important for our day schools and Yeshivas to have the latest in state-of-the-art security,” said Teach Advocacy Network’s Executive Director Maury Litwack. “Teach NYS worked closely with the leaders of Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns & Rockaway, Rambam Mesivta, the Brandeis School, Magen David, the Jewish Foundation School and the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School for Girls to fill out the grant applications for this DHS grant in order to upgrade their security to keep our children safe.”
Teach NYS, a division of the Teach Advocacy Network, was founded in 2013 to advocate for equitable government funding in New York nonpublic schools. It has secured an additional $450 million in funding for day schools, which is used to increase security, enhance education and defray higher tuition costs. In 2018, it championed a historic pilot program to begin providing Kosher and Halal meals to students enrolled in both public and nonpublic schools in New York City. Currently, more than 40 day-schools and yeshivas receive government funding through Teach NYS. For more information, visit https://teachadvocacy.org/newyork/.