NEW YORK – Schools and Catholic leaders across New York are responding to the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis earlier this week.
NYC reacts to the Minneapolis shooting
What they’re saying:
The mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School has reverberated in New York City. FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the federal organization is investigating the shooting as “an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.”
The NYPD is deploying additional resources to houses of worship in the city as a result.
“Our offices have worked with the NYPD to make sure there is a police presence at all schools,” Ted Havelka, the Director of Enrollment Management at Catholic Schools of Brooklyn and Queens, told FOX 5 NY’s Sharon Crowley.
Havelka added that an uptick in police presence is typical at the start of every school year; the first day of classes this year for New York City schools is September 4, and many Catholic schools in the city start at some point during the same week.
Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan posted a statement regarding the shooting.
Sister Mary Grace Walsh, Superintendent of Schools for the Catholic Schools in the Archdiosese of New York, also provided a statement on the event:
“On behalf of the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York, I extend our heartfelt prayers to our colleagues in the ministry of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, who have been deeply affected by the tragic events at Annunciation Catholic School and Parish in Minneapolis. We pray for the victims and their families, and especially for the souls of the young students whose lives were taken far too soon.
As we pray for those affected, we remain committed to the safety and well-being of every student in our own schools. We look forward to welcoming them to a safe environment for the first day of school next week, with resources through ADAPP (Archdiocese of New York Drug Abuse Prevention Program) available for students and their families as needed.”
Many of these Catholic schools have masses planned to celebrate the beginning of the school year, Crowley reports.
Security systems being installed in schools
What we know:
Meanwhile on Long Island, Plainedge School District has spent about $250,000 on a new security system, FOX 5 NY’s Jessica Formoso reports.
Plainedge is the first school district in New York to install XSPONSE, an AI-driven security system that includes camera devices, a panic button and badges for all staff members.
Over 400 devices have been installed in the five schools in the district; the devices are in every classroom and in common areas, including the hallways and cafeterias.
The cameras on said devices would turn on when a lockdown is triggered; first responders would have both visibility and communication with the classrooms.
“Imagine first responders… being able to see in the classroom, and track on a live map within a few feet of where the emergency situation is happening,” XPONSE CEO Lee Mande told Formoso.
School officials currently have to send a link to the local police department for officers to access the cameras and map, but they are hoping to establish a partnership with the Nassau County Police Department in the coming weeks – the partnership would grant officers immediate access.
The Source: This article includes reporting from FOX 5 NY’s Sharon Crowley and Jessica Formoso.
New YorkLong IslandNew York CityNew York City Schools