[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 71 (Thursday, April 27, 2023)] [House] [Pages H2072-H2077] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-27
Chamber: HOUSE
Mr. MIKE GARCIA : across our country, K-12 students are preparing to wrap up school as the summer nears. They have undoubtedly faced a tough academic year that, for some, has, unfortunately, been marked by the scourge of violence that continues to impact our Nation's schools. This national problem extends from fights on campuses to local violent crime that breaks out near the campuses that induces lockdowns to evil, targeted shootings like we saw in Nashville just a couple of weeks ago. As our Nation's children recess for the summer, it is on Congress to use this time to work toward meaningful solutions that protect our kids as much as they work to protect themselves. Since the stewardship of President Reagan, our country has retained and demonstrated a time-tested doctrine of peace through strength to keep the homeland safe. President Reagan knew then, as we still see today, that anything less than the full projection of strength and willingness to protect our own invites attacks from evil actors. This same principle, which has been employed by our Nation for the better part of 50 years, should also apply to our most precious asset, our children. As Americans, we need to be willing to plainly demonstrate to any person set on attacking our kids in school that any effort to do so will be met with swift and devastating force. That is why I introduced the Strengthening School Security for Students Act, which would require and fund at least two school resource officers for every 500 students in public schools in the United States using leftover unobligated COVID funds. These school resource officers would be trained, they would be armed, and we would have two for every 500 students. That gives the school the opportunity to have multiple locations for these resource officers to put down any threats as quickly as possible. Some of these SROs actually exist today, but recent data shows that only about 45 percent of the schools have a dedicated SRO on campus at least once a week. Mr. Speaker, that is not good enough. Our children deserve better. We are surrounded by armed guards here in the Capitol on a daily basis. Every door we walk in, every building we go into, there are armed guards around us. Mr. Speaker, my life, your life are not more important than the lives of our children. They deserve to be protected as well. A proportionate amount of SROs on campuses for students sends a clear, unwavering message that we will protect our students from any harm. It is critical that we take lessons learned from recent instances of violence and use them to address existing shortfalls and gaps in our schools, from hardening campuses to protect students to investing in the mental health facilities of staff as well as the students. Mr. Speaker, another bill that I have brought forward to this body is the Safe Schools Act, which, again, uses existing unspent COVID funds that have already been obligated to schools and school districts to improve theirown security and make proper investments in programs that prevent violence. For example, under this bill, schools would be allowed to use funds that were previously earmarked specifically for COVID relief and train teachers and faculty on how to best assist children experiencing a mental health crisis and provide immediate support when issues arise. If you ask me, that sounds like a great use of our underrun on COVID funding. Mr. Speaker, this fight is a personal one for me. Like too many other folks in this Chamber, my own community has been touched by school violence when just a few years ago at Saugus High School, my alma mater, two young lives were taken too soon because of an act of violence. We can take meaningful action without sacrificing our duty to protect the constitutional rights of every American.  Honoring Sergeant Steve Owen