In recent weeks, Americans have witnessed more school shootings-in Colorado, Wisconsin, Missouri and Pennsylvania. Every time these tragedies make headlines, there is a call for action. While there are many steps that we can take, there is already a federal law and funding available to help keep our local schools and our schoolchildren safe. In 2000, along with my friend Congressman Henry Hyde (R-IL), I authored Secure Our Schools – a federal matching grant program for the purchase of school security equipment and for the security training of local school personnel.
Secure Our Schools grants help towns cover the cost of school safety measures, such as metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other crime prevention tools. They also fund security assessments, training for students, teachers, and administrators, coordination with local law enforcement, and other actions that significantly improve school safety.
Unfortunately, while Congress approved $30 million to be spent on Secure Our Schools grants in 2005 and 2006, the Republican Majority – following the lead of the President – slashed that amount by half to $15 million. Now, Republicans seem prepared to further cut funding for next year’s grants to $14.8 million. This declining funding level is unacceptable.
There are over 14,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and 95,615 public K-12 schools in the nation, according to the Department of Education’s last count. Clearly, full funding for the Secure Our Schools program would allow us to protect more schools and schoolchildren.
Much has been done to improve safety in our local schools, but much more needs to be done. Our nation must ensure that every district in the country that needs help receives help. We must give our nation’s schoolchildren a safe and secure environment in which they can learn, not having to constantly look over their shoulders in fear. Despite tough fiscal times, the obligation of government remains the same. We must keep the public, and especially our children, safe.