The Empire Posts team has been looking through public records for bills (whether failures or passed) worth analyzing. Our search led us to failed bill S7276 introduced during the 2019-2020 legislative session introduced by now former NY State Senator David Carlucci. The bill’s purpose was to require video camera recording in special education classrooms where students are unable to communicate effectively.
Now, for a bill as straightforward as this one is, what caused it to fail?
Well, many of the “concerns” that led to this bill being struck down include the following
-Privacy concerns : Opponents were concerned about the “implications” of recording individuals in special education settings, as well as “the student and teacher’s privacy”.
-Opponents were also concerned about the possibility of the tapes from these classes ending up in “the wrong hands”.
-Cost and implementation concerns – Opponents also argued that the financial burden and logistical challenges of installing and maintaining such equipment could have been deterrents.
Our tax dollars in New York are going to a 250 million dollar emergency subway intercom system (where a 2024 audit by the MTA Inspector General revealed that during a six-month period in 2023, approximately 50% of the 140,698 calls made through the Help Points were prank calls, 28% were genuine requests for assistance, and 22% were system checks by MTA staff and over 1,000 emergency calls went unanswered). Surely some money can be allocated to something much more useful, such as the implementation of cameras in special education classes.
Why it matters
Defending those who cannot defend themselves should be a priority. Many cases of abuse inside special education classrooms and facilities have been reported over the years, it’s much harder to push for justice when little video evidence exists (even when the abuse did take place). In most cases, the “protection of the student’s privacy” isn’t even a valid argument when the student who in most cases cannot even comprehend or feel threatened by the camera is being used as an excuse for teachers (who should be more than happy with a camera if they have nothing to hide) to not have cameras in their classrooms.
REACHING OUT
Empire Posts has reached out to now former State Senator Carlucci for an interview recently, as well as State Senator Bill Weber (who now occupies his seat) and we will be releasing the latest information as it comes.