Nydia M. Velazquez: “this month our Nation's children will return to school, but for many…”

On the recordSeptember 4, 1997

this month our Nation's children will return to school, but for many of these children a schoolroom is not a place to learn but a place to survive. Like our roads and bridges, our Nation's schools are crumbling. In my district in New York, children are trying to learn in conditions that we should be ashamed of, crumbling walls, leaking roofs, and overcrowding. How can a child be expected to learn to read and write when the walls are literally falling down around them? Earlier this year the Republicans killed our plan to provide $10 billion to help rebuild our schools. The Republicans seem to think that it is OK for children to study in trailers and closets. Democrats are committed to making sure that every child in this country has a modern, safe school in which to learn. This is a commitment we have made to our children, and it is a commitment worth fighting for.

Said by

Nydia M. Velazquez

New York

Source

govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Addressing the condition of schools and the need for funding during a speech on education.

Share on X Share on Facebook Email this quote

Nydia M. Velazquez: “this month our Nation's children will return to school, but for many of these children a schoolroom is not a place to…”

Editor's note · Context