Political Quotes

“I rise tonight to thank my friends and colleagues, Mr. Davis and Mr. Kuhl, for introducing this outstanding legislation, and I am proud to join them in strong support of the Student and Teacher Safety Act. As a father, I am very concerned about my children's safety during the school day. Every morning, my wife and I, we send our children off to school to prepare them for a better and brighter future. I expect them to learn in a safe, secure and nurturing environment, an environment incompatible with weapons and violence. Unfortunately, statistics show that this may not be the case. I am shocked by the statistics that describe the threat drugs and guns pose in our schools. According to a national survey of high school students in 2003, 29 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported having been offered drugs on school grounds; 9 percent of students reported having been threatened or injured by a weapon such as a gun or knife on school property; and almost 7 percent of students in these same grades said they had missed at least one school day because they felt unsafe at or traveling to or from school. Statistics show America has a problem. It is up to Congress to provide the tools our educators need to combat this threat. Back when I was a student in high school, if a teacher asked me to show them the contents of my locker, I would have complied. It was a simpler time.…”