Mike Levin: “2 weeks ago a 17-year-old student was shot and killed at Ballou High School in Washington, DC. This shooting was the…”

“2 weeks ago a 17-year-old student was shot and killed at Ballou High School in Washington, DC. This shooting was the second in a 4-month period at the school. Earlier this week, in Albany, NY, another school shooting took place, and while only minor injuries resulted, the incident is another example of the impact of gun violence on students. School violence, or even the threat of school violence, instills fear in our students, and limits their ability to learn. It also threatens and intimidates teachers and makes instruction more difficult. Violence in our schools puts the learning environment in jeopardy. That is one reason why I am troubled by President Bush's fiscal year 2005 budget. The President's budget proposes a total elimination of funding for the COPS in Schools Program. As my colleagues know, the COPS in Schools program is designed to help law enforcement agencies hire school resource officers to engage in community policing in and around primary and secondary schools.”