WHITE PLAINS – As kids return to the classrooms with the summer coming to a close, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office is launching new training sessions for superintendents on New York’s new gun laws that went into effect September 1, particularly, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, which school administrators and health practitioners, like school nurses and counselors, can apply for when they see students in crisis.
The first session will be held Friday, September 9, with the Council of School Administrators at Southern Westchester BOCES with superintendents representing southern Westchester schools. A second session with northern Westchester school superintendents is being planned. The Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health will also be present during these sessions.
“Schools are one of our most valuable partners in the fight against gun violence and the engagement of school administrators is a critical investment in the safety of our school communities,” said District Attorney Miriam Rocah, who earlier this summer released a detailed Gun Safety Plan in the wake of the state legislature’s response to mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde followed by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning New York’s conceal carry law. “These trainings are part of my Gun Safety Plan in action, and I’m doing everything in my power, as DA, and as a mother to school-aged children, to ensure New York’s new gun laws are used as effectively as possible.”
A package of sweeping new gun legislation signed in June by Governor Kathy Hochul went into effect September 1 and includes gun-free zones and new age restrictions on semi-automatic weapons. The legislation also enhanced New York’s red flag laws. School officials are one of a few categories of people who can now apply for Extreme Risk Protection Orders — court orders that temporarily restrict individuals who pose an imminent risk to themselves or others from purchasing and possessing firearms.
