Mayor Mamdani Vetoes My Legislation That Protects Students
For our students, schools are second homes. It's where they nourish themselves, receive services, and of course, learn about the world around them. Nothing should prevent our kids from going to school.
I want to update you on an important bill affecting student safety across our city.
I will always fight to keep our students safe and protect them from harassment. That is why the City Council passed my legislation, Intro 175-B, to ensure that students can enter and exit their schools safely and without interference, intimidation, or harassment.
The misinformation surrounding Intro 175-B has been striking. Some critics have falsely framed it as an effort to suppress free speech, when there is absolutely no mechanism in the bill that would enable that. Some have said that it would allow the NYPD to arrest any protester within 100 feet of a school, which is pure fiction. As critics of the bill lambast elements of the bill that do not exist, it is just as disingenuous to suggest that students do not need clear protections to ensure safe access to their schools.
This bill was crafted intentionally, with every New Yorker in mind. From the students walking to school to the protestors exercising their First Amendment rights, we ensured this bill protects students, upholds free speech, and is content-neutral.
The bill requires the NYPD to create a clear, public plan for addressing harassment, intimidation, and obstruction at school entrances and exits. It also establishes transparency, communication with the public, and accountability in how those decisions are made, while fully protecting First Amendment rights.
Mayor Mamdani has now made the baffling decision to veto this student safety legislation. In his veto message, the points of justification for vetoing it are not based on the content of the bill.
The Mayor argues that the bill is too broad and could infringe on the right to protest. That claim is not supported by the text of the bill. Intro 175-B does not ban protests, restrict speech, or create new penalties. It simply requires the NYPD to be transparent and consistent in how it protects access to schools, something it already has the authority to do, but where transparency and accountability are sorely lacking. The bill draws a clear line: protest is protected, but intimidation and blocking access to classrooms are not.
The Mayor also raises concerns about the scope of what constitutes an "educational institution." But my bill clearly defines an educational institution as "any building, structure, or place affiliated with an institution of education, including public and nonpublic elementary schools, middle schools, junior high schools, high schools, colleges, and universities." Calling it vague or undefined avoids debating the actual issue: safe access to schools.
The core purpose of this bill is straightforward and practical: to ensure that students, families, and school staff can safely access school buildings. Without a clear, public plan, enforcement remains inconsistent and unpredictable, which is exactly what leads to confusion and concern.
At a time when students face real incidents of harassment and unsafe passage on their way to school, inaction is not acceptable.
Students deserve to feel safe walking into their classrooms, and New Yorkers deserve transparency and accountability from their government.
I will keep fighting every day to make sure this issue is treated with the seriousness it deserves. I will continue to advance policies that protect both public safety and constitutional rights, because we do not have to choose between them.
Check out my response to Mayor Mamdani's veto video here, and read my response to his veto here.
As always, I welcome your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Eric Dinowitz
New York City Council Member
District 11
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