Political Quotes

“It responds to the growing crisis of violence in our Nation's schools. This measure will help our schools protect their students and preserve a learning environment free from violence. This is a problem that would have been inconceivable only a few short years ago. But it is a problem that has now grown so serious that it demands a Federal response. The Safe Schools Act that I am proposing today will be a major component of this response. Much of the answer resides in our States and localities. We do not mandate specifically in each instance what a State or local school district ought to do. But we give them broad authority to come up with ideas and sanctions and proposals that would meet the unique circumstances of these districts and of these States, again reinforcing the underlying principle associated with this legislation that the Senator from Massachusetts has brought to the floor, and that is flexibility: Allow our communities to respond in a fashion they deem appropriate. We need this legislation because, for far too many of our Nation's children, the fear of violence rather than the challenge of learning has become the reality of each school day.”