With his signature, Gov. Phil Murphy, before the over 300 assembled at YBH of Passaic on Tuesday, dramatically improved the safety of the state’s Jewish schools and those of other faiths.

The governor signed into law legislation that doubles the security allocation for the state’s nonpublic schools. The $150 per student funding now gives these schools the ability to increase security options ranging from state-of-the-art equipment to the hiring of more safety officers. In short, the move increases the security of our schools during a time when anti-Semitism has increased here in the most free nation of the world.

We want to thank the governor and state lawmakers from both houses for seeing this bill pass with a commitment and urgency. We also want to give credit to the hard work of Teach NJ, the Orthodox Union’s advocacy organization, and the Agudah of New Jersey, as well as so many others who worked so hard to see this bill come to fruition.

Also benefiting from the governor’s signatures were houses of worship and religious community centers, as protective measures will now be expanded due to a revision to the New Jersey Nonprofit Security Grant Pilot Program.

“Our administration is tasked with the vital responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of all New Jerseyans,” said Gov. Murphy. “Working with our partners in the legislature, we are taking significant steps to dramatically improve security measures for New Jersey’s children and families. I am proud to sign two bills into law that help ensure that anyone visiting a school, house of worship or community center may be free of fear and intimidation.”

To all those involved in making this happen, we thank you for protecting all of the children of New Jersey.