ALBANY - New York will not be arming teachers despite recent reports the Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to allow school districts to use federal education funds to purchase weapons.
Betty Rosa, the state's Board of Regents chancellor, announced the decision in a statement Thursday, citing concerns over violence and student safety.
"There is no place in our schools for weapons, no matter the intentions," Rosa said in a statement, which argued weapons in the classroom would violate the "drug and violence" clause of the Every Student Succeeds Act, an Obama era policy designed to create equal opportunities for all students.
The New York policy aims to create a safe-school environment that is "free of weapons and fosters individual responsibility and respect for the rights of others.”
Reports surfaced last month that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was considering a policy that would allow schools to use federal funding to purchase weapons for teachers.
President Trump, in February, suggested arming teachers would make schools a much "harder target" for active shooters at a political event following a shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 were killed.
The state Department of Education refuted the claims, which sparked nationwide controversy, leading Rosa and MaryEllen Elia, commissioner of New York's Education Department, to release a joint statement.
"Putting guns in classrooms with students is misguided and dangerous," the statement said.
"The U.S. Department of Education should not allow our federal education dollars to pay for weapons when that funding is intended for the teaching and learning of our children."
States have the right to interpret how to distribute funding in a manner stricter than federal law permits, according to Rosa.
"Even if the United States Department of Education creates policy allowing the use of funds for purchasing guns for school staff, NYSED has the authority – and will exercise that authority – to restrict such uses within New York State LEAs," said the statement, referring to local education agencies.
New York currently receives nearly $4 billion in federal education aid — funding which is distributed through the state's Title IV program.
Rosa, in her statement, said using such funds to purchase guns for teachers does not meet the "reasonable and necessary" requirements needed to receive federal grants.
"We simply cannot afford to use federal education dollars that are intended for teaching and learning to pay for weapons that will compromise our schools and communities," Rosa said in her statement.
The NRA, the nation's largest gun-advocacy group, has been a proponent of arming teachers, lobbying for similar legislation since 2013.
The organization's National School Shield Program would position armed guards at schools and assess other "facets of school safety."
The program has been heavily scrutinized for its willingness to arm teachers.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been a staunch critic of the gun group.
The state is currently in a legal battle with the NRA over its Carry Guard insurance program, which it contends is illegal because it extends liability protection to gun-owners for acts of "unintentional wrongdoing."
The lobbying group has sued the state over its decision to end the program. Last month, the group filed a complaint stating the lawsuit could potentially bankrupt the organization.
"If the NRA goes away, I’ll remember the NRA in my thoughts and prayers." Cuomo said in a statement last month.