William Ford: “I rise in support of H.R. 2455, the Safe Schools Act of 1994. This legislation could not come sooner. It will help…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 2455, the Safe Schools Act of 1994. This legislation could not come sooner. It will help promote school safety and prevent school violence. It will assist school administrators, teachers and parents as they work to abate crime. H.R. 2455 would authorize $50 million in competitive grants to local equation agencies that serve areas with high rates of youth crime and violence. Individual grants are limited to $3 million and 1 year. Local agencies applying for the grants would assess their needs, described how they will coordinate their activities with other school improvement plans and the Safe and Drug-Free Schools initiatives to come. It should be a national imperative that all children enrolled in our 15,173 school districts be offered a rigorous and challenging curriculum, but it is a given that their schools should be safe and secure. A recent Louis Harris poll found that nearly 1 in 4 students and 1 in 10 teachers have been victims of violence on or near school property.”