Lynn C. Woolsey: “I oppose the so-called Student and Teacher Safety Act. This bill would impose a one-size-fits-all policy on student…”

“I oppose the so-called Student and Teacher Safety Act. This bill would impose a one-size-fits-all policy on student searches on every school district in the country. You know, in my experience with children and youth, it is a mistake to assume that every student is as guilty as a few troubled persons, making all youth feel guilty because a few actually are. Mr. Speaker, this bill would strip Safe and Drug-Free School Acts funding from any school district that decides that local parents, that teachers, and administrators know better than Congress how to make their schools safe. In fact, the President and the Republican Congress have cut Safe and Drug-Free funding every year since the year 2002. This bill's proponents argue that it will clarify student search rules for school administrators and teachers, but the American Association of School Administrators has said that the bill simply will create unnecessary new Federal mandates. The American Federation of Teachers has said that the bill will complicate school districts' efforts to develop student search policies. And the National Parent Teacher Association, the PTA, has said that the bill fails to improve the safety of students and school personnel. Mr. Speaker, if we are serious about school safety, we will reject this bill, we will reject the President's and this Congress's continuing cuts to the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program, and we will stop any new program that would label all youth as guilty.”