Under new law, all New York schools required to mark 9/11 with moment of silence

NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a new law that will require all schools in the state of New York to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The law, which establishes September 11th Remembrance Day, stipulates that schools will hold a moment of silence on the start of the day when school is in session on Sept. 11.

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The law, which was signed Tuesday and goes into effect for Wednesday's 18th anniversary of the terror attacks, was designed to start a dialogue and education for children who were not born before 2001, New Jersey News 12 reported.

Cuomo said in a press release that, "9/11 was one of the single darkest periods in this state's and this nation's history, and we owe it to those we lost and to the countless heroes who ran toward danger that day and the days that followed to do everything we can to keep their memory alive, By establishing this annual day of remembrance and a brief moment of silence in public schools, we will help ensure we never forget — not just the pain of that moment but of the courage, sacrifice and outpouring of love that defined our response."

Almost 3,000 people were killed when four planes were flown into New York City's World Trade Center, The Pentagon and into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Ceremonies to mark the somber day will be held at all three locations.

In New York, the ceremony will begin at the 9/11 Memorial plaza in Lower Manhattan at 8:39 a.m. EDT. And will consist of family members of those killed reading the names of each person who died on both 9/11 and during a previous attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, WABC reported. They will pause to mark the exact time each plane hit the towers, when he towers fell and when the time of the attack on the Pentagon and Flight 93 crashed. The 9/11 Memorial Museum will be open only for victims' family members, WABC reported.

An addition has been made to the memorial to honor those who have died after the attacks due to the toxins that they were exposed to at Ground Zero. It's called the 9/11 Memorial Glade and is dedicated "to those whose actions in our time of need led to injury, sickness, and death," USA Today reported.

You can watch the ceremony here.

The Pentagon ceremony will begin with the unfurling of the American Flag on the side of the Pentagon at 6:46 a.m. EDT, the Department of Defense said in a press release. The memorial will be closed to the public so families of the 184 people who were killed can take part in a private ceremony. The memorial will reopen after 11:00 a.m. Wednesday. A moment of silence will be held in Washington at 9:37 a.m. to mark the time the plane hit the Pentagon, USA Today reported.

Then on Monday, the memorial, which is normally open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will be closed so repairs and construction can be done. The bench area will be the first to be closed to the public, with the Memorial Gateway entrance being closed Nov. 16, WRC reported.

The memorial service to honor those killed when Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, will begin at 9:45 a.m. and the names of the 40 passengers and crew members killed will start being read, with a bell rung after each, to coincide with the time the plane crashed at 10:03 a.m.. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to speak at the ceremony.

Cox Media Group