Students from Western New York are calling on the New York State Legislature to immediately pass Kyra’s Law, a bill that would require the court to prioritize a child’s safety when making decisions regarding final orders of child custody and visitation, and significantly enhance training for judges on domestic violence and child abuse.
Middle and high school students came together to demand the immediate passage Kyra’s Law (A.3346A/S.3170A), a common sense bill with wide bipartisan support from New York State lawmakers to protect children from abusive parents in custody cases during a press conference and rally at Cleveland Hill High School on Bereaved Mother’s Day.
According to published media reports, 23 children have been murdered by an abusive parent in New York since 2016. This includes Kyra Franchetti, who was ordered by the court to have unsupervised visits with her father, despite repeated reports and eyewitness accounts of his anger and rage issues, suicidal ideation, stalking and history of coercive tactics and abuse. Days after the court granted her abusive father overnight visits, Kyra was shot to death while she slept.
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab Students collectively ran 23 miles while pushing a stroller with a Elmo doll in memory of the 23 children, like 2 year old Kyra Franchetti, who were murdered by an abusive parent during a child custody case in New York State in 2016. Elmo was Kyra’s favorite toy.
Similar events also took place in Albany and Long Island.
This event is sponsored by Kyra’s Champions, a New York Student Advocacy organization, and you can find more information at www.StepsForSafety.org.
Cleveland Hill has set standards before in the aftermath of tragedies. After the horrific fire in 1954 when 15 children died and 23 were injured, fire drills were implemented nationwide, and other safety measures (school construction and communications with fire departments) became mandatory.
