Sam Gibbons: “today I rise to address the very important issue of school violence. I was recently pleased to learn that this…”

“today I rise to address the very important issue of school violence. I was recently pleased to learn that this administration will finally hold a national conference on school safety sometime in October of this year. Because no community in America is immune to the plague of school violence, and because we, as a Nation can no longer sit idly by while violence in our schools continue to rise, I sent a letter to the President on June 24th encouraging him to listen to the solutions of the American people from coast to coast and border to border. For America to achieve success in combating school violence in our local communities, we must first address three important issues. First, the Federal Government must redirect its resources to States to focus on this problem at the local level. Secondly, our communities must continue to improve cooperative relations among local agencies whose job it is to address this problem associated with school violence. Finally, it is important that any conference bring together, in a round table discussion, several representatives from local and Federal law enforcement agencies, courts, city councils, and school boards to develop local solutions to a national problem. Mr. Speaker, our children deserve no less.”