Political Quotes

“in my home State, four students were caught bringing a gun to a school-sponsored event. They were passing the gun among themselves. After a disciplinary hearing, three of the students were expelled for possession of a gun, but the child who actually brought the gun to the event was given only 45 days in an alternative program. Why this unequal result? Because the child who brought the gun was classified as learning disabled under IDEA. Now, Mr. Chairman, when I travel throughout my district and talk to parents and teachers and administrators, they are concerned about this dual system of school discipline. They want school discipline returned to the schools. A safe productive learning environment is a key element to providing all students with a good education. There is no hidden agenda here. There is no attempt to deny disabled students the ability to be educated. It is simply a matter of safety in schools and order in schools and discipline in schools. It was the academic community who encouraged me during the last Congress to introduce a bill to restore disciplinary decisions to State and local administrators. We cannot tolerate students bringing guns or drugs to school or assaulting other students.”