- PROTECTING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS: A DISCUSSION ON SCHOOL SAFETY

[House Hearing, 113 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

PROTECTING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS:
A DISCUSSION ON SCHOOL SAFETY

=======================================================================

HEARING

before the

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
AND THE WORKFORCE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

__________

HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

__________

Serial No. 113-6

__________

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COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE

JOHN KLINE, Minnesota, Chairman

Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin George Miller, California,
Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, Senior Democratic Member
California Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey
Joe Wilson, South Carolina Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott,
Virginia Foxx, North Carolina Virginia
Tom Price, Georgia Ruben Hinojosa, Texas
Kenny Marchant, Texas Carolyn McCarthy, New York
Duncan Hunter, California John F. Tierney, Massachusetts
David P. Roe, Tennessee Rush Holt, New Jersey
Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania Susan A. Davis, California
Tim Walberg, Michigan Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona
Matt Salmon, Arizona Timothy H. Bishop, New York
Brett Guthrie, Kentucky David Loebsack, Iowa
Scott DesJarlais, Tennessee Joe Courtney, Connecticut
Todd Rokita, Indiana Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio
Larry Bucshon, Indiana Jared Polis, Colorado
Trey Gowdy, South Carolina Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,
Lou Barletta, Pennsylvania Northern Mariana Islands
Martha Roby, Alabama John A. Yarmuth, Kentucky
Joseph J. Heck, Nevada Frederica S. Wilson, Florida
Susan W. Brooks, Indiana Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon
Richard Hudson, North Carolina
Luke Messer, Indiana

Barrett Karr, Staff Director
Jody Calemine, Minority Staff Director

C O N T E N T S

----------
Page

Hearing held on February 27, 2013................................ 1

Statement of Members:
Kline, Hon. John, Chairman, Committee on Education and the
Workforce.................................................. 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 2
Miller, Hon. George, senior Democratic member, Committee on
Education and the Workforce................................ 3
Prepared statement of.................................... 5

Statement of Witnesses:
Bond, Bill, former principal; specialist for school safety,
National Association of Secondary School Principals........ 7
Prepared statement of.................................... 8
Bontrager, Brett, senior vice president and group executive,
Stanley Black & Decker Security Systems Division........... 16
Prepared statement of.................................... 17
Canady, Mo, executive director, National Association of
School Resource Officers (NASRO)........................... 10
Prepared statement of.................................... 12
Ellis, Frederick E., director, office of safety and security,
Fairfax County Public Schools, VA.......................... 22
Prepared statement of.................................... 24
Osher, Dr. David, vice president, American Institutes for
Research................................................... 19
Prepared statement of.................................... 21
Pompei, Vincent, school counselor............................ 13
Prepared statement of.................................... 15

Additional Submissions:
Bonamici, Hon. Suzanne, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Oregon, questions submitted for the record to:
Mr. Bond................................................. 76
Mr. Bontrager............................................ 77
Mr. Canady............................................... 79
Mr. Ellis................................................ 80
Dr. Osher................................................ 81
Mr. Pompei............................................... 82
Holt, Hon. Rush, a Representative in Congress from the State
of New Jersey, questions submitted for the record to:
Mr. Bond................................................. 76
Mr. Bontrager............................................ 77
Mr. Canady............................................... 78
Mr. Ellis................................................ 79
Dr. Osher................................................ 80
Mr. Pompei............................................... 81
Hudson, Hon. Richard, a Representative in Congress from the
State of North Carolina, questions for the record submitted
to Mr. Canady.............................................. 78
Mr. Miller, statements for the record:
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the
Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD).. 45
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc........ 47
The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)............ 51
Mr. Osher:
``How Can We Improve School Discipline''................. 55
Statement: the Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing
School and Community Violence.......................... 66
Wilson, Hon. Frederica S., a Representative in Congress from
the State of Florida, questions submitted for the record
to:
Mr. Bond................................................. 76
Mr. Bontrager............................................ 77
Mr. Canady............................................... 78
Mr. Ellis................................................ 79
Dr. Osher................................................ 80
Mr. Pompei............................................... 82
Responses to questions submitted from:
Mr. Bond................................................. 82
Mr. Bontrager............................................ 84
Mr. Canady............................................... 85
Mr. Ellis................................................ 86
Dr. Osher................................................ 89
Mr. Pompei............................................... 91

PROTECTING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS:
A DISCUSSION ON SCHOOL SAFETY

----------

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee on Education and the Workforce

Washington, DC

----------

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 12:31 p.m., in room
2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. John Kline [chairman
of the committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Kline, Wilson, Roe, Walberg,
Salmon, Guthrie, DesJarlais, Rokita, Gowdy, Roby, Heck, Brooks,
Hudson, Miller, Andrews, Scott, McCarthy, Tierney, Holt,
Grijalva, Loebsack, Courtney, Yarmuth, Wilson, and Bonamici.
Staff present: Katherine Bathgate, Deputy Press Secretary;
James Bergeron, Director of Education and Human Services
Policy; Cristin Datch, Professional Staff Member; Lindsay
Fryer, Professional Staff Member; Barrett Karr, Staff Director;
Nancy Locke, Chief Clerk/Assistant to the General Counsel;
Krisann Pearce, General Counsel; Mandy Schaumburg, Education
and Human Services Oversight Counsel; Dan Shorts, Legislative
Assistant; Nicole Sizemore, Deputy Press Secretary; Alex
Sollberger, Communications Director; Alissa Strawcutter, Deputy
Clerk; Tylease Alli, Minority Clerk/Intern and Fellow
Coordinator; Jeremy Ayers, Minority Education Policy Advisor;
Meg Benner, Minority Education Policy Advisor; Kelly Broughan,
Minority Education Policy Associate; Jody Calemine, Minority
Staff Director; Tiffany Edwards, Minority Press Secretary for
Education; Jamie Fasteau, Minority Director of Education
Policy; Brian Levin, Minority Deputy Press Secretary/New Media
Coordinator; Megan O'Reilly, Minority General Counsel; Rich
Williams, Minority Education Policy Advisor; and Michael Zola,
Minority Senior Counsel.
Chairman Kline. A quorum being present, the committee will
come to order.
I want to welcome everybody this afternoon to the hearing.
A couple of administrative notes, we are starting late today
because of the historic statue dedication, Rosa Parks, in
Statuary Hall. So I appreciate the witnesses understanding of
the change in time and my colleagues.
Well again, thank you for joining us for what is an
important hearing but one I wish weren't tied frankly to such
an awful event. Two months have passed since the Sandy Hook
Elementary School tragedy. Families across America continue to
grieve with the Newtown community. The sorrow we felt on that
day remains fresh in our minds and our hearts.
No one in this room needs me to recount what happened on
December 14th. Nor do you need a description of what happened
in Paducah, Kentucky; Littleton, Colorado; or Blacksburg,
Virginia. We saw the news coverage, we read the stories, we
watched the interviews.
While the initial shock may have begun to subside, the
questions remain. Like many of you, I am angry that such a
terrible act hasn't come with an explanation. Without such
answers, how can we work with states and schools to develop a
solution that will help us move forward? How can we be
confident something like this can't happen again?
The purpose of today's hearing is not to assign blame. This
isn't about us. It isn't about a press release or a bill
introduction or a media opportunity. This is about students.
Teachers. Families. Communities. This hearing is about learning
what goes into protecting our schools and preventing violence.
This is about ways we can work together to help students feel
safe.
Today's hearing stems from a heartbreaking event, but in
order to have a productive conversation, we must try to focus
on matters under this committee's jurisdiction. Members on both
sides of the aisle have offered ideas about how to protect
students in the classroom. The Obama administration has also
put forth a series of proposals.
Last week when I was in my district in Minnesota, I
traveled, I went to schools, public and private, and had
meetings with school leaders, the teachers' unions,
superintendents, school board members, and I discussed and
looked at what they were doing and how they were addressing
school safety--everything from lockdown procedures and locking
doors, and I listened to their concerns. They have ideas; I am
not sure they have solutions.
Our witnesses today will share their experiences with
policies and programs intended to secure schools. I propose we
come together, just as the families are in every school
district and community nationwide, to have a comprehensive
discussion on school safety; one that explores policy ideas on
state and local actions and will inform how we move forward.
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to our
witnesses for joining us today. We have assembled a panel, a
fantastic panel, that will offer valuable insight and help us
understand what state and local school leaders go through as
they work to keep schools safe.
I would now recognize the distinguished senior democratic
member, George Miller, for his opening remarks.
[The statement of Chairman Kline follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. John Kline, Chairman,
Committee on Education and the Workforce

Two months have passed since the Sandy Hook Elementary School
tragedy. Families across America continue to grieve with the Newtown
community. The sorrow we felt on that day remains fresh in our minds
and hearts.
No one in this room needs me to recount what happened on December
14. Nor do you need a description of what happened in Paducah,
Kentucky; Littleton, Colorado; or Blacksburg, Virginia. We saw the news
coverage, we read the stories, we watched the interviews.
While the initial shock may have begun to subside, the questions
remain. Like many of you, I am angry that such a terrible act hasn't
come with an explanation. Without such answers, how can we work with
states and schools to develop a solution that will help us move
forward? How can we be confident something like this can never happen
again?
The purpose of today's hearing is not to assign blame. This isn't
about us. It isn't about a press release or a bill introduction or a
media opportunity. This is about students. Teachers. Families.
Communities. This hearing is about learning what goes into protecting
our schools and preventing violence. This is about ways we can work
together to help students feel safe.
Today's hearing stems from a heartbreaking event. But in order to
have a productive conversation, we must try to focus on matters under
this committee's jurisdiction. Members on both sides of the aisle have
offered ideas about how to protect students in the classroom. The Obama
administration has also put forth a series of proposals. And our
witnesses will share their experiences with policies and programs
intended to secure our schools.
I propose we come together, just as families are in every school
district and community nationwide, to have a comprehensive discussion
on school safety--one that explores policy ideas and state and local
actions, and will inform how we move forward.
I'd like to extend my sincere appreciation to our witnesses for
joining us today. We have assembled a panel that will offer valuable
insight and help us understand what state and local school leaders go
through as they work to keep schools safe. I will now recognize my
distinguished colleague George Miller, the senior Democratic member of
the committee, for his opening remarks.
______

Mr. Miller. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you for agreeing to hold this hearing on such an important
topic. The horrific events at Newtown, Connecticut shook our
nation's conscience and continue to do so today. Nothing can be
more disturbing. Nothing can be more enraging, or more
despairing than the mass execution of little children.
To call what happened at Sandy Hook a tragedy is not to do
it justice. It is beyond tragedy. We will forever search for
the words that capture this event, the horror of this event,
the grief of the families, the community, our nation is
indescribable.
It is an event that has finally pushed our country to a
long overdue national debate about mental health, about gun
violence, about the safety of our children. It is also an event
that in its magnitude reminds us that violence against children
is an everyday occurrence in this country.
Entire classrooms were attacked at Sandy Hook, but children
one by one are gunned down outside of schools in Chicago and in
my congressional district. Children in Arizona or Indiana or
South Carolina go to school every day worrying about the
bullies and the harassment.
Sandy Hook is an event that calls on us as policymakers to
do something not just to prevent the next mass murder but to
make sure that every school is genuinely a safe place. A school
must be a place where children feel secure so that they can
focus on learning, growing, and being kids.
Stopping an outside intruder from attacking students is
only the last line of defense when it comes to school safety.
We need to recognize that violence or the fear of violence does
not begin or end at the schoolhouse door nor does violence
necessarily occur during normal school hours or from an
outsider. We know children in many of the urban areas feel
unsafe walking to or from school.
Many students and teachers are aware of the threats of
bullying on school property, not just during the school day,
but during off hour activities. A child is vulnerable on so
many fronts; vulnerable from a madman with a gun, vulnerable
from school employees whose criminal background has never been
checked, vulnerable from fellow students whose mental health
may have never been addressed, vulnerable to gangs who may have
infiltrated the student body.
With all of these vulnerabilities, our gut instinct may be
to turn schools into bank vaults with each student as
physically secure as gold in Fort Knox, but research is clear
that simply turning schools into armed fortresses is not the
answer nor is the answer to turn every potentially wayward
student into a criminal suspect.
School safety policies must not be driven by gut instincts
but by sound evidence of what works. They require the
comprehension and understanding of physical and emotional needs
of students, not just the particular hardware or security
procedures in a building.
Part of the answer is providing better access to mental
health services and anti-bullying interventions, and when
problems do arise from students, disciplinary policies must be
thoughtful and productive and foster trust between teachers and
students. Part of the answer is recognizing that the emotional
and physical needs of our children inside and outside of school
is a shared responsibility.
Keeping kids safe requires a coordinated effort from
teachers, principals, superintendents, community partners, and
parents, and protecting children from violence and freeing
students to learn more means insuring the states, districts,
schools, and communities have the resources and the support
needed to implement the evidence-based approaches that are
tailored to the unique needs of students in that area. Doing
all this is a tall order, but to ask any parent waving goodbye
to their son or daughter at the bus stop if there is a more
important work than this.
We place extraordinary responsibility on schools to meet
academic, emotional, and physical needs of students. Educators
repeatedly rise to the occasion. Among the heroes of Sandy Hook
were a principal, a school psychologist, a classroom teacher
who gave their lives to protect the young charges. We cannot
ask them to stand alone. Schools cannot be expected to provide
a quality education in a safe and secure environment for all of
the children without support including from us in the Congress.
So today, I hope we will look at what works for school
safety, how we can provide a better support of what works;
however, I want to make it clear when it comes to gun violence,
the onus should not fall solely on schools to protect children.
Any school safety changes in the wake of Sandy Hook must be
implemented in tandem with comprehensive gun violence
prevention. Common sense strategies are needed to keep guns out
of the hands of those who intend harm.
Once a madman with a gun shows up at a schoolhouse door or
at an office or reception desk or at an Army base, our safety
policies will have already failed. So what we are looking at
today is only a small piece of puzzle, but it is an important
piece.
And I look forward to working with you, Mr. Chairman, and
members of the committee on sensible steps to protect children
from violence both inside and outside of the school, and I want
to join you in thanking our witnesses. It is an incredible
panel that you have assembled for joining us today and we look
forward to their testimony and their insights. Thank you.
[The statement of Mr. Miller follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. George Miller, Senior Democratic Member,
Committee on Education and the Workforce

Chairman Kline, thank you for agreeing to hold this important
hearing.
The horrific event in Newtown, Connecticut shook our nation's
conscience and continues to do so today. Nothing can be more
disturbing, nothing can be more enraging or more despairing than the
mass execution of little children.
To call what happened at Sandy Hook a tragedy is to not do it
justice. It is beyond tragedy. We will forever search for the word that
captures this event. The horror of the event, the grief of the
families, the community, and our nation is indescribable.
It is an event that has finally pushed our country into a long
overdue national debate about mental health, about gun violence, and
about the safety of our children. It is also an event that, in its
magnitude, reminds us that violence against children is an everyday
occurrence in this country. Entire classrooms were attacked at Sandy
Hook.
But children, one by one, are gunned down outside of school in
Chicago and in my congressional district. Children in Arizona, or
Indiana, or South Carolina, go to school every day worrying about
bullies and harassment.
Sandy Hook is an event that calls on us as policymakers to do
something--not just to prevent the next mass murder but to make sure
every school is a genuinely safe place. A school must be a place where
children feel secure so that they can focus on learning, growing, and
being kids.
Stopping an outside intruder from attacking students is only the
last line of defense when it comes to school safety.
We need to recognize that violence--or the fear of violence--does
not begin or end at the school house door. Nor does violence
necessarily occur during normal school hours or from an outsider. We
know children in many urban areas feel unsafe walking to and from
school. Many students and teachers are aware of threats of bullying on
school property, not just during the school day, but during off-hour
activities.
A child is vulnerable on so many fronts:
Vulnerable to a mad man with a gun.
Vulnerable to a school employee whose criminal background
was never checked.
Vulnerable to a fellow student whose mental health issues
are never addressed.
Vulnerable to gangs who may have infiltrated the student
body.
With all of these vulnerabilities, our gut instinct may be to turn
schools into bank vaults, with each student as physically secure as the
gold in Fort Knox. And yet research is clear that simply turning
schools into armed fortresses is not the answer. Nor is the answer to
turn every potentially wayward student into a criminal suspect
School safety policies must not be driven by gut instincts, but by
sound evidence of what works. They require a comprehensive
understanding of the physical and emotional needs of students, not just
the particular hardware and security procedures in a building.
Part of the answer is providing better access to mental health
services and anti-bullying interventions. And when problems do arise
from students, disciplinary policies must be thoughtful and productive
and foster trust between teachers and students. Part of the answer is
recognizing that the emotional and physical needs of our children
inside and outside of school is a shared responsibility.
Keeping kids safe requires a coordinated effort from teachers,
principals, superintendents, community partners, and parents. And
protecting children from violence and freeing students to learn means
ensuring that states, districts, schools and communities have the
resources and supports needed to implement evidence-based approaches
that are tailored to the unique needs of students in that area.
Doing all of this is a tall order. But ask any parent waving good-
bye to their son or daughter at the bus stop if there is more important
work than this. We place extraordinary responsibility on schools to
meet the academic, emotional and physical needs of students.
Educators repeatedly rise to the occasion. Among the heroes of
Sandy Hook were a principal, a school psychologist, and classroom
teachers who gave their lives to protect their young charges. We cannot
ask them to stand alone. Schools cannot be expected to provide a
quality education and a safe, secure environment for all children
without support, including from us in Congress.
So today, I hope we'll look at what works for school safety and how
we can provide better support for what works. However, I want to make
clear that, when it comes to gun violence, the onus should not fall
solely on schools to protect children.
Any school safety changes in the wake of Sandy Hook must be
implemented in tandem with comprehensive gun violence prevention.
Commonsense strategies are needed to keep guns out of the hands of
those who intend harm.
Once a mad man with a gun shows up at the school house door, or at
an office reception desk, or on an army base, our safety policies will
have already failed. So what we are looking at today is only a small
piece of the puzzle. But it is an important piece.
I look forward to working with Chairman Kline and members of this
committee on sensible steps to protect children from violence, both
inside and outside of school. And I thank all the witnesses for
appearing today. I look forward to your testimony.
I yield back.
______

Chairman Kline. I thank the gentleman.
Pursuant to committee Rule 7C, all committee members will
be permitted to submit written statements to be included in the
permanent hearing record. And without objection, the hearing
record will remain open for 14 days to allow statements,
questions for the record, and other extraneous material
referenced during the hearing to be submitted in the official
hearing record.
It is now my pleasure to introduce our very distinguished
panel of witnesses.
First, Mr. Bill Bond serves as a school safety specialist
for the National Association of Secondary School Principals. He
served as principal of Heath High School in Paducah, Kentucky
at the time a school shooting tragedy occurred at Heath.
Mr. Mo Canady serves as executive director for the National
Association of School Resource Officers and is past president
of the Alabama Association of School Resource Officers.
Mr. Vinnie Pompei is a school counselor in Val Verde
Unified School District located in Merino Valley, California.
He is the president-elect of the California Association of
School Counselors.
And now I would like to turn to my colleague, a new member
of the committee, Mrs. Brooks, to introduce our next witness,
turns out, from her home district.
Mrs. Brooks?
Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I have the privilege of introducing someone who brings
valuable, real-world experience. That is Mr. Brent Bontrager.
He is a senior vice president and group executive for Stanley
Security Solutions, a division of Stanley Black & Decker
located in Fishers, Indiana with other facilities throughout my
district, and they do focus on such issues as security site
surveys, they have worked mass notification systems, lock down
solutions. They have worked with over 10,000 schools throughout
the country, and I am honored that he is here today.
Chairman Kline. Thank you. We are honored that he is here
today as well.
Dr. David Osher is the vice president in the Education,
Human Development, and the Workforce Program and co-director of
the Human and Social Development Program at the American
Institutes for Research.
And Mr. Fred Ellis is the director of Office of Safety and
Security with the Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax,
Virginia. He is a retired major with the Fairfax County Police
Department.
Welcome, all.
Before I recognize each of you to provide your testimony,
let me briefly explain our lighting system. It is pretty
sophisticated. You will each have 5 minutes to present your
testimony. When you begin, the light in front of you will turn
green. When 1 minute is left, the light will turn yellow. When
your time is expired, the light will turn red; pretty
sophisticated.
However, the trick comes in in recognizing that red light.
When the red light comes on, I would ask you to wrap up your
remarks as best you are able. After everyone has testified,
members will each have 5 minutes to ask questions of the panel.
While I am reluctant to drop the gavel after the light turns
red for the witness, I will because we are pretty pressed for
time today.
As sort of an administrative announcement, I have been
advised by the majority leader's office that we are probably
going to expect votes around 2:15 or 2:30, so we are going to
try to keep this moving along, and I would remind my colleagues
that we also are limited to 5 minutes, and I will be less
reluctant to tap the gavel and keep that moving.
I would now like to recognize Mr. Bond for 5 minutes. Your
microphone, please. Thank you.

STATEMENT OF BILL BOND, SCHOOL SAFETY SPECIALIST,
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

Mr. Bond. Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Miller, and
members of the committee, thank you for inviting me here today
to testify on how we can better protect our students, teachers,
and staff.
My name is Bill Bond, I am the former principal of Heath
High School in Paducah, Kentucky. When I was the principal of
the high school, I had the first of the high-profile school
shootings, and I had eight kids shot and three girls died. The
student had five guns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
That event profoundly transformed everyone involved and the
experience prompted me to reach out to other schools that are
going through the same situation. After the students who were
freshman at the time of the incident graduated, I retired from
the principalship, and for the past 12 years have served as a
safe school specialist for the National Association of
Secondary School Principals.
The shooting at my school was the first high-profile mass
school shooting, and it was followed rapidly by several others.
In working with NASSP, I have assisted 12 other schools where
kids have died. My role is to focus the principal on the
decisions they will need to make to get the school back
functioning and to be a resource and to assure them that they
are on the right path, and to help with the flood of media and
to respond immediately to the word of a tragedy and to just let
them deal with the crush of media that they are not used to
dealing with. I often say to principals, if you have 12
microphones, you had a bad day.
To be effective, schools must operate and be perceived as
safe havens. When parents send their kids to school, they
believe that the school has thought of and planned for every
possible situation, and that is a reasonable expectation for
parents, but it is very hard to meet.
To be prepared, principals must meet with local responders;
police, firemen, ambulance drivers, transportation, and define
everyone's role and to examine the traffic flow around the
buildings to see where emergency entrance is for vehicles,
buses, so forth. They need to create lockdown procedures,
evacuation procedures, unification procedures.
The good news is that most schools have done this, but the
document must be a living document. Very often they are
mandated to do this by the state, they do it, and they don't
look at the document again. It has to be a living document that
is constantly evolved and changed.
Communicating with teachers and staff and parents is the
hardest part during a crisis, but it is the most important part
in the recovery process. Angry, uninformed parents will break
any crisis plan, but most plans were written the months
following Columbine when expectations for communications were
different.
Most schools have not gone back to update that part of the
plan; to give just one example when a high school student was
shot a few months ago on the first day of school in Maryland,
parents got the word from their kids so fast they actually
showed up before the police.
That is not a situation you want during a crisis, but it
shows that parents expect instant communication. When they hear
nothing from the school they get anxious, they fill that gap of
information from the news, from text, from their kids, from
rumors, from social media, and the information may not be
correct.
Parents want to know two things. Is my child okay? And when
can I pick my child up? As we go through this about talking
about safe schools, I have talked only about school shootings,
but we are talking about all issues that could happen in a
school, tornadoes, earthquakes; any disaster affects kids,
affects those students, and affects those parents. Thank you.
[The statement of Mr. Bond follows:]

Prepared Statement of Bill Bond, Former Principal; Specialist for
School Safety, National Association of Secondary School Principals

Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Miller, and members of the
committee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss school
safety and how we can better protect our students, teachers, and staff.
My name is Bill Bond, and I am the former principal of Heath High
School in Paducah, KY. In December 1997, one of my own students brought
5 guns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition into the school and shot 8
students; 3 girls were killed. That event marked a profound
transformation for everyone involved. And that experience prompted me
to reach out to other schools that were going through the same
situation. After the students who were freshman at the time of the
incident graduated, I retired from the principalship. For the past 12
years, I have served as the specialist for school safety at the
National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
The shooting at my school was the first of the high-profile mass
school shootings. It was followed rapidly by several others. In working
with NASSP, I've assisted at 12 other schools where kids have died. My
role is to focus the principal on the decisions they'll need to make to
get the school back up and functioning--to be a resource and reassure
them that they're on the right path. And to help with the flood of
media that respond immediately to word of a tragedy. I often tell
audiences: what's the definition of a bad day for a principal? More
than 12 microphones.
To be effective, schools must be operated and perceived as safe
havens. When parents send their kids to school, they believe the school
has thought of and planned for every possible situation--and that's a
reasonable expectation, but one that's very hard to meet.
So to be prepared, the principal must meet with local responders--
police, firemen, ambulance drivers--and the district transportation to
look at facilities, define people's roles and examine how the traffic
flows around the school. They need to create lockdown procedures, and
evacuation and reunification procedures. Now, the good news is that
most everyone has a good crisis plan that includes these things. But
that plan must be a living document--it must be adjustable. One huge
area where most plans have not adjusted is in the area of crisis
communications.
Communicating with teachers, staff, and parents is the hardest part
of a crisis, but it is extremely important and it's the key to
recovery. Angry, uninformed parents will break any crisis plan. But
most plans were written in the months following the Columbine shooting
in April 1999, when expectations for communication were different. Most
schools have not gone back to update that part of the plan. To give
just one example, when a high school student was shot a few months ago
on the first day of school in Maryland, parents got word from their
kids so fast they actually showed up before the police. That's not a
situation you want, but it shows that parents expect instant
communication today. When they hear nothing from the school, they get
anxious and they fill that gap with other information--from the news,
texts from their kids, the rumor mill, and social media. That
information may not be correct. Parents want to know two things. Is my
child ok? And when can I get him? And the more parents can hear from
the school that at least makes progress toward those answers, the more
it relieves their emotions.

Security Procedures and Equipment
I'm often asked if school shootings can be prevented with more
security--cameras and metal detectors, and the like. While they may
deter some intruders and prevent more weapons from entering our
schools, that equipment can only go so far. If they really want to,
kids will find a way around all your security equipment. It's based on
the notion that: ``We can deter you because our force is greater than
your force and we will ultimately imprison you or we will kill you.''
But that was not a deterrent in most of the school shootings that have
occurred since Paducah. Those kids already made the decision to die on
that day, so rational deterrents had no effect on them. Your best
protection is a trusting relationship between adults and students that
encourages kids to share responsibility for their safety and share
information. Kids very often know what's going on in the school and
what might cause a crisis. So information from students is more
valuable than any camera or locked door. And kids will give that
information to an adult they know well and trust. If they don't trust
you and someone is planning something destructive, it's difficult to
avoid the tragedy. It's a matter of how many will be killed before he
stops or kills himself.

School Resource Officers
The presence of a school resource officer (SRO) can be beneficial
to the school. An SRO is a law enforcement officer who is also
specially trained in working with students in a school environment.
Yes, the SRO is armed, but the benefit of the SRO has little to do with
the gun on his hip. The SRO is an active member of the school community
and serves as part of the school leadership team. In many cases, the
SRO assists the school in crisis planning and personalizing the
district's emergency management plan to that school. They assist in
training staff and conducting walkthroughs of the emergency management
plan and lockdown drills. Some teach classes on the law and drug and
alcohol prevention. But the most important SRO function is to build
trusting relationships with the students. The school resource officer
can (and should) be another adult in the building who will be an
advocate for the students and help to personalize the learning
experience for those students. Again, students are much more inclined
to come forward with information about potential threats if that
relationship is in place.

Mental Health
Most educators, particularly principals and teachers, are able to
recognize in troubled students the signs and symptoms that are known to
lead to violent behavior, and pinpoint interventions working with their
colleagues in mental health. More and more, principals are identifying
students who may need intervention in the earliest grades, often with
an overwhelming number of cases as early as kindergarten.
Unfortunately, principals and other school personnel find
themselves hampered by inefficient systems that prevent them from
helping students and families access appropriate mental health and
well-being services. Principals need to be able to maintain
relationships that are essential to keeping students safe, and they
must be able to hire appropriate mental health personnel in the school,
such as guidance counselors, psychologists, and social workers.
Sadly, there is no simple solution to this complex problem of
violence directed at schools, regardless of whether the perpetrator is
a student or an outsider. But we know that there is something schools
and communities can do. It has been identified time and again by the
Secret Service, the FBI, and numerous researchers: The most effective
way to prevent acts of violence targeted at schools is by building
trusting relationships with students and others in the community so
that threats come to light and can be investigated as appropriate. The
solution is a matter of school culture. It's a matter of community
engagement. It's a matter of public health. The real solution is
multifaceted and complex, but as each act of violence on a school
reminds us, it is work we must undertake.
______

Chairman Kline. Thank you, Mr. Bond.
Mr. Canady?

STATEMENT OF MO CANADY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS

Mr. Canady. Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Miller, and
members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to testify
on behalf of the National Association of School Resource
Officers.
It is my honor to serve as the executive director for this
outstanding group of law enforcement and education
professionals. NASRO is a not-for-profit association founded in
1991 with a solid commitment to our nation's youth.
NASRO is comprised of school-based law enforcement
officers, school administrators, and school security and safety
professionals working as partners to protect students, faculty,
and staff and their school community.
The school resource officer refers to a commissioned law
enforcement officer selected, trained, and assigned to protect
and serve the education environment. I cannot emphasize enough
how critical it is for officers to be properly selected and
properly trained to function in the school environment. This is
always a factor in the success or failure of the SRO program.
The SRO program is most effective when it is built on the
foundation of interagency collaboration. There should always be
a formal memorandum of understanding between the law
enforcement agency and the school district. The role of the SRO
should be based on the Triad concept of school-based policing.
This encompasses the strategies of law enforcement and
formal counseling and education. A typical day for an SRO may
include traffic direction, problem solving with a student, or
making a presentation on distracted driving to a classroom of
high school students.
Relationship building is certainly an important factor in
the success of an SRO program. The SRO must strive to build
positive working relationships with the school administration.
One way of helping to build these relationships can be through
the SRO's role on the school safety team.
Properly trained SRO's are prepared to be a member of
safety teams and can also take a leadership role in helping to
develop teams where none exist.
I spent nearly half of my law enforcement career in school-
based policing. It was without a doubt, the most rewarding
period of my career. It was more than just a job. It became my
life's work. I developed positive relationships with
administrators, faculty members, students, and parents.
I became an integral part of the Hoover City Schools
District Crisis Team. By being a part of the school safety
team, the SRO becomes fully engaged in crisis planning to
include prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. SROs
can provide value to the written plans for a school district.
They can also assist with campus site assessments as well as
conducting safety drills.
The aspect of recovery was one that I had not given a great
deal of thought to during the early phase of my career in
school-based law enforcement. It was not until the days
following November 19, 2002, that it became clear to me the
importance of the role that a school resource officer can play
in the recovery portion of a critical incident.
The unthinkable had happened at our largest high school.
One student had taken the life of another in the hallway during
the change of class periods. This resulted in a very large
crime scene that took some time to secure. The students had to
remain in a modified lockdown for several hours. We all knew
that this was putting quite a burden on teachers in particular,
however they did exactly what they were supposed to do as they
had been trained.
The principal asked me to join him in a faculty meeting
after the students were released. I took the opportunity to
praise the staff for their good work. One of the reasons that
faculty members were so well-prepared for an incident such as
this was due to the school's commitment to maintaining a solid
school safety team.
I believe that this faculty meeting was actually the
beginning of the recovery process. Plans were developed for the
next day. We thought that our most important job on November 20
would be to keep this from happening again, to keep weapons out
of school, to make sure that no retaliation occurred.
While all of these things were important, it paled in
comparison to the need of the student body to be comforted and
reassured. The need for trusted and caring adults became the
more important issue in this recovery process.
The school resource officers were certainly still focused
on security, but we were most definitely more engaged in the
mental and emotional recovery process.
The reason for this is because we were much more than just
a law enforcement presence. We were trusted adults and we
helped to make a difference in the lives of children during the
days prior to and most definitely following November 19, 2002.
Trained and committed police officers are well-suited to
effectively protect and serve the school community. School
resource officers contribute too by ensuring a safe and secure
campus, educating students about law related topics, and
mentoring students as informal counselors or role models.
Over the last 23 years of the National Association of
School Resource Officers has become the world leader in school-
based policing. We have trained thousands of officers based on
the Triad model of school-based policing and these officers are
having a positive impact on the lives of children every day.
Thank you.
[The statement of Mr. Canady follows:]

Prepared Statement of Mo Canady, Executive Director,
National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO)

Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Miller, and members of the
Committee: Thank you for inviting me to testify on behalf of the
National Association of School Resource Officers. It is my honor to
serve as the Executive Director for this outstanding group of law
enforcement and education professionals. NASRO is a not-for-profit
association founded in 1991 with a solid commitment to our nation's
youth. NASRO is comprised of school-based law enforcement officers,
school administrators and school security and safety professionals
working as partners to protect students, faculty and staff, and their
school community. The ``school resource officer'' (SRO) refers to a
commissioned law-enforcement officer selected, trained and assigned to
protect and serve the education environment. I cannot emphasize enough
how critical it is for officers to be properly selected and properly
trained to function in the school environment. This is always a factor
in the success or failure of the SRO program.
The SRO program is most effective when it is built on the
foundation of interagency collaboration. There should always be a
formal memorandum of understanding between the law enforcement agency
and the school district. The role of the SRO should be based on the
triad concept of school based policing. This encompasses the strategies
of law enforcement, informal counseling and education. A typical day
for an SRO may include traffic direction, problem-solving with a
student or making a presentation on distracted driving to a classroom
of high school students.
Relationship building is certainly an important factor in the
success of an SRO program. The SRO must strive to build positive
working relationships with the school administration. One way of
helping to build these relationships can be through the SROs role on
the school safety team. Properly trained SRO's are prepared to be a
member of safety teams and can also take a leadership role in helping
to develop teams where none exist.
I spent nearly half of my law enforcement career in school based-
policing. It was without a doubt the most rewarding period of my
career. It was more than just a job. It became my life's work. I
developed positive relationships with administrators, faculty members,
students and parents. I became an integral part of the Hoover City
Schools District Crisis Team. By being a part of a school safety team,
the SRO becomes fully engaged in crisis planning to include Prevention,
Preparedness, Response and Recovery. SRO's can provide value to the
written plans for a school district. They can also assist with campus
site assessments as well as conducting safety drills.
The aspect of ``Recovery'' was not one that I had given a great
deal of thought to during the early phase of my career in school-based
law enforcement. It was not until the days following November 19, 2002
that it became clear to me the importance of the role that a school
resource officer can play in the recovery portion of a critical
incident. The unthinkable had happened at our largest high school. One
student had taken the life of another in the hallway during the change
of class periods.
This resulted in a very large crime scene that took some time to
secure. The students had to remain in a modified lockdown for several
hours. We all knew that this was putting quite a burden on teachers in
particular. However, they did exactly what they were supposed to do, as
they had been trained. The principal asked me to join him in a faculty
meeting after the students were released. I took the opportunity to
praise the staff for their good work. One of the reasons that faculty
members were so well prepared for an incident such as this, was due to
the schools commitment to maintaining a solid school safety team.
I believe that this faculty meeting was actually the beginning of
the recovery process. Plans were developed for the next day. We thought
that our most important job on November 20th would be to keep this from
happening again. To keep weapons out of the school. To make sure that
no retaliation occurred. While all of those things were important, it
paled in comparison to the need of the student body to be comforted and
reassured. The need for trusted and caring adults became the more
important issue in this recovery process. The school resource officers
were certainly still focused on security but we were most definitely
more engaged in the mental and emotional recovery process. The reason
for this is because we were much more than just a law enforcement
presence. We were trusted adults and we helped to make a difference in
the lives of children during the days prior to and most definitely
following November 19, 2002.
Trained and committed police officers are well-suited to
effectively protect and serve the school community. School resource
officers contribute by ensuring a safe and secure campus, educating
students about law-related topics, and mentoring students as informal
counselors and role models. Over the last 23 years, the National
Association of School Resource Officers has become the world leader in
school based policing. We have trained thousands of officers based on
the Triad model of school based policing and these officers are having
a positive impact on the lives of children every day.
______

Chairman Kline. Thank you.
Mr. Pompei, you are recognized for 5 minutes.

STATEMENT OF VINCENT POMPEI, SCHOOL COUNSELOR,
VAL VERDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Mr. Pompei. My name is Vincent Pompei. I am a school
counselor in southern California. I started out as a middle
school teacher and became a school counselor to pursue my
passion--making school a safe and inclusive place for every
student.
My story is the story of millions of students across
America. By 5th grade, I had been targeted and labeled as gay.
I was teased, pushed, spit on, knives were pulled on me, my
bike was stolen. I became depressed, considered dropping out of
school, and by 11th grade, had already attempted suicide twice.
My teachers looked on as I endured bullying and homophobic
slurs. I honestly don't think they knew how to intervene
appropriately. I didn't feel safe, because I wasn't safe.
I desperately needed an adult I could trust, but it was far
too risky to seek out support. And I had no idea how to go
about finding help; there was no information, not even a
sticker or poster with a phone number to call.
All through those years, I searched and prayed for just one
person to make me feel safe. I never found that person during
those years, but it drove me to want to become a teacher, and
then a school counselor, to be that person for my students.
Mass shootings like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School
make headlines, but they are rare. Students are far more likely
to encounter gang violence, bullying, and harassment in
everyday life. They need access to counseling, support, and
other mental-health services to cope with those kinds of
experiences and much more. For example, when dad is beating
mom, when they become homeless, when they are thinking of
dropping out, when their parents are deported.
By now, caseloads have grown so much that counselors have
no time to put out fires when we should be preventing them from
igniting in the first place. The situation is the same for
school nurses, psychologists, social workers, and other school-
based mental health professionals.
The recommended ratio for school students to counselors is
250:1. In California, where I live, the ratio is more than
1,000:1; a caseload not even Superman could handle. In
Minnesota, it is nearly 800:1 and nationwide, nearly 500:1.
For some of our students, especially the most vulnerable,
the resulting loss of services will have lifelong consequences.
In the short run, an emotional wound may be less visible than a
physical injury. Over the long run, it can fester and become
crippling, like a cut in the skin or a broken bone that is not
cared for properly.
Meanwhile, evidence mounts that mental well-being and
academic success go hand in hand. A recent meta-analysis of
school-based social and emotional learning programs--more than
270,000 K-12 students were involved--showed participation in
such programs improved grades and standardized test scores by
11 percentile points, compared to the control groups.
When students feel safe and connected at school, they are
more likely to learn. Yet most educators get no training--we
call it ``professional development,''--in what it takes to
create a school climate that nourishes the mental well-being as
well as academic success.
If our nation is serious about keeping students safe, that
has got to change. We must do more than react after the damage
has been done. We must invest in professional development that
acknowledges the need for preventive care; a healthy, safe, and
inclusive school.
Every member of the school staff needs to know the basics.
Who is statistically most likely to be the target of bullying,
harassment, or violence? What to expect when a kid has a
traumatic experience--whether it is a hurricane, violence at
home, a shooting, or bullying. How to counsel and change the
behavior of those who bully or those who behave violently.
Every member of the school staff must be equipped to
respond appropriately and effectively to students who is
troubled or potentially violent. Instead of playing a guessing
game, it should be routine for educators to receive instruction
in creating a healthy, safe, and inclusive school climate; just
as it is routine to receive instruction on first aid for cuts
and bruises, and what to do when someone chokes on a piece of
food, or struggles to learn algebra.
Instead of standing silently by when students shun or
ridicule someone who is different, school staff should lead by
example. Embrace diversity. Address problems before they
escalate. Show students how to resolve conflict in non-violent
ways using research-proven strategies.
In short, we need to take teaching students to be good
citizens as seriously as we take academics. To help keep
schools and students safe, we must encourage professional
development in cultural competence, conflict management, and
anti-bullying initiatives.
Above all, America must act on what we know to be true. Our
mental health system is broken and underfunded. Between 2009
and 2012, the states slashed mental-health spending by $4.3
billion; the largest reduction since de-institutionalization in
the 1960s and 1970s.
Now, there is widespread agreement that mental-health
services need to be expanded and improved. To keep our students
safe, we have got to act on what research shows--mental well-
being is critical to academic success. We have got to provide
visible signs that school is a safe place not for just some,
but for all. We have got to spend more, not less, to educate
and care for the whole child.
On behalf of all school-based mental-health professionals,
I thank you for this opportunity to present this testimony.
Thank you.
[The statement of Mr. Pompei follows:]

Prepared Statement of Vincent Pompei, School Counselor

My name is Vincent Pompei. I am a school counselor in southern
California. I started out as a middle school teacher and became a
school counselor to pursue my passion: making school a safe and
inclusive place for every student.
My story is the story of millions of students all across America.
By 5th grade, I had been targeted and labeled as gay. I was teased,
pushed, and spit on. Knives were pulled on me and my bike was stolen. I
became depressed, considered dropping out, and by the 11th grade, had
already attempted suicide twice.
My teachers looked on as I endured bullying and homophobic slurs. I
honestly don't think they knew how to intervene appropriately.
I didn't feel safe--because I wasn't.
I desperately needed an adult I could trust, but it was far too
risky to seek out support. And I had no idea how to go about finding
help--there was no information, not even a sticker or poster with a
phone number to call.
All through those years, I searched and prayed for just one person
to make me feel safe. I never found that person during those years, but
it drove me to want to become a teacher, and then a school counselor--
to become that person for my students.
Mass shootings like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School make
headlines, but they are rare. Students are far more likely to encounter
gang violence, bullying, and harassment in everyday life. They need
access to counseling, support, and other mental-health services to cope
with those kinds of experiences and much more--for example, when Dad is
beating Mom, when they become homeless, when they're thinking of
dropping out, when a parent is deported.
But now, caseloads have grown so much that counselors only have
time to put out fires--when we should be preventing fires from igniting
in the first place. The situation is the same for nurses,
psychologists, social workers, and other school-based mental health
professionals.
The recommended ratio of students to counselors is 250-to-1. In
California, where I live, the ratio is more than 1,000-to-1--a caseload
not even Superman could handle! In Minnesota, it's nearly 800-to-1 and
nationwide, nearly 500-to-1. (Source: American School Counselor
Association).
For some of our students, especially the most vulnerable, the
resulting loss of services will have lifelong consequences. In the
short run, an emotional wound may be less visible than a physical
injury. Over the long run, it can fester and become crippling, like a
cut in the skin or a broken bone that is not cared for properly.
Meanwhile, evidence mounts that mental well-being and academic
success go hand in hand. A recent meta-analysis of school-based social
and emotional learning programs--more than 270,000 K-12 students were
involved--showed participation in such programs improved grades and
standardized test scores by 11 percentile points, compared to control
groups. (Source: National Association of School Psychologists)
When students feel safe and connected at school, they are more
likely to learn. Yet most educators get no training--we call it
``professional development''--in what it takes to create a school
climate that nourishes mental well-being as well as academic success.
If our nation is serious about keeping students safe, that has got
to change. We must do more than react after the damage has been done.
We must invest in professional development that acknowledges the need
for ``preventive care''--a healthy, safe, and inclusive school climate.
Every member of the school staff needs to know the basics: Who is
statistically most likely to be a target of bullying, harassment, or
violence. What to expect when a kid has a traumatic experience--whether
it's a hurricane, violence at home, a shooting at school, or bullying.
How to counsel and change the behavior of bullies or those who behave
violently.
Every member of the school staff must be equipped to respond
appropriately and effectively to a student who is troubled or
potentially violent. Instead of playing guessing games, it should be
routine for educators to receive instruction in creating a healthy,
safe, and inclusive school climate--just as it is routine to receive
instruction in first aid for cuts and bruises, in what to do when
someone chokes on a piece of food or struggles to learn algebra.
Instead of standing silently by when students shun or ridicule
someone who is different, school staff should lead by example. Embrace
diversity. Address problems before they escalate. Show students how to
resolve conflicts in non-violent ways using research-proven strategies.
In short, we need to take teaching students to be good citizens as
seriously as we take academics.
To help keep schools and students safe, we must encourage
professional development in cultural competence, conflict management,
and anti-bullying initiatives.
Above all, America must act on what we know to be true. Our mental
health system is broken and underfunded. Between 2009 and 2012, the
states slashed mental-health spending by $4.3 billion--the largest
reduction since de-institutionalization in the 1960s and 70s. (Source:
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors)
Now, there's widespread agreement that mental-health services need
to be expanded and improved.
To keep our students safe, we've got to act on what the research
shows: mental well-being is critical to academic success. We've got to
provide visible signs that school is a safe place not just for some,
but for all. We've got to spend more, not less, to educate and care for
the whole child.
On behalf of all school-based mental-health professionals, I thank
you for the opportunity to present this testimony.
______

Chairman Kline. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Bontrager, you are recognized for 5 minutes.

STATEMENT OF BRETT BONTRAGER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
AND GROUP EXECUTIVE, STANLEY BLACK & DECKER

Mr. Bontrager. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Miller, and
distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for the
opportunity to testify today on the critical issue of school
safety. My name is Brett Bontrager. I am the Senior Vice
President and Group Executive of Stanley Security Solutions,
which is a division of Stanley Black & Decker.
Stanley Security Solutions is headquartered in Indianapolis
in Congresswoman Brooks' congressional district. While many of
you know Stanley Black & Decker for its construction and do-it-
yourself products, our company has also been in the security
business for many decades.
It is because of this expertise, decades of school
experience, and the proximity of our world headquarters in
Connecticut, in relation to the tragedy in Newtown, that led us
to be able to immediately play a role in helping the students
and faculty of Sandy Hook.
After the decision was made by the town to move the
students to a decommissioned school, Chalk Hill, our team was
called in to perform a comprehensive security survey and
determine what was needed in the building to allow the students
to move in and be safe and we subsequently installed certain
products and services to do just that.
While there is certainly some information on Web sites and
in other literature regarding school safety, and products do
exist and are on the market to secure our nation's schools, we
have not been able to find in our research a Web site or other
single source of information that comprehensively integrates
all security needs together.
For school administrators, board of education members, and
superintendents, the daily challenges that come with educating
our children and running a school district are all-consuming.
Today, these same officials are being asked to become experts
in security and it is important to know they don't have to be.
So what is school safety? Certainly, no single lock or
system. Instead, a comprehensive, integrated security package,
and long-term roadmap should be designed and implemented at
each school, which would take into account the unique physical
nature of that particular school.
Upon completion of the site evaluation and risk assessment,
decisions must be then made on the level of security needed,
but at its core, the integrity of the mechanical solution must
be maintained. By levels of security, I am referring to
security products that range from essential hardware and
mechanical access equipment to wireless situational awareness
monitoring and every solution in between.
One clear trend that security providers see is the strong
need to tie mass notification via an intercom system to a
school's access control, intrusion monitoring system, and
security cameras. This allows for coordination and visibility
for response teams both inside the school as well as from local
law enforcement or fire personnel in the case of an emergency.
Lack of integration with the local first responder team can be
a critical flaw in the school security process.
One specific example of a school district where we have
worked with the administration to customize the best solutions
is one of the largest school districts in Louisiana which
included 6,000 employees, 42,000 students from pre-K to 12th
grade, and 66 different schools.
The district encompassed urban centers, suburban
neighborhoods, rural towns, and communities. In reviewing
efficiencies and cost saving measures, the district determined
that several of their high school campus locations were
underutilized. It was decided that to fully utilize their
available space and to reduce overhead costs, each facility
would integrate seventh and eighth graders.
This idea however did not come without security challenges.
It was important that each of these locations be able to
isolate or limit the interaction between younger and older
students. The school facilities on average were 60 years old
and not built with security in mind.
There were too many ways that unauthorized individuals
could enter and leave. Every school in the system presented its
own set of challenges. You will see a one-size-fits-all
approach is neither practical or recommended.
This hearing has started what we think should be a
continued national conversation on school security and safety
that includes experts from the field and school officials in
order to learn the best ways to protect our schools.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I applaud you and the Committee
for taking a leadership role on this critical issue of school
safety. I know we can all agree that keeping our children safe
in their schools is worth all of our time, all of our
collective experience, and all of our wisdom. I am humbled that
we might have an opportunity to play a role.
[The statement of Mr. Bontrager follows:]

Prepared Statement of Brett Bontrager, Senior Vice President and
Group Executive, Stanley Black & Decker Security Systems Division

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Miller, and distinguished Members of
the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the
critical issue of school safety. My name is Brett Bontrager. I am the
Senior Vice President and Group Executive of Stanley Security
Solutions, which is a division of Stanley Black & Decker.
Stanley Security Solutions is headquartered in Indianapolis--in
Congresswoman Brooks' congressional district. While many of you know
Stanley Black & Decker for its construction and do-it-yourself
products, our company has also been in the security business for many
decades.
It is because of this expertise, decades of school experience and
the proximity of our world headquarters in Connecticut in relation to
the tragedy in Newtown that led us to be able to immediately play a
role in helping the students and faculty of Sandy Hook. After the
decision was made by the town to move the students to a decommissioned
school, Chalk Hill, two tenured employees from our team were called in
to perform a comprehensive security survey and determine what was
needed in the building to allow the students to move in and be safe.
Our team worked through the holidays to make sure that the Chalk Hill
school building was ready for the children when they returned to school
to provide a safe and secure environment for the students, parents and
faculty.
While there is certainly some information on websites and in other
literature, and products do exist and are on the market to secure our
nation's schools, we have not been able to find in our research a
website or other single source of information that comprehensively
integrates all of the security needs together. For school
administrators, board of education members and superintendents, the
daily challenges that come with educating our children and running a
school district are all-consuming. Now, in the wake of the Newtown
tragedy, parents want these same officials to become experts in
security.
As we all know security measures and practices are designed to slow
down an intruder for, every moment that you can delay or slow down an
intruder to allow time for law enforcement to arrive, can save
countless lives, but understanding the right solutions and the overall
task is overwhelming.
A good starting point is to ask the basic question: What is school
safety? Certainly, no single lock or system is the answer. Instead, a
comprehensive, integrated security package and long-term roadmap should
be designed and implemented, which would take into account the unique
physical nature of each school. Each school stands on its own
geographic footprint and has unique physical characteristics. This
necessitates that prior to the installation of any security system each
school district should ensure that its school buildings and grounds
undergo a site evaluation, a risk assessment and a long-term,
comprehensive security roadmap is developed.
Upon completion of the site evaluation and risk assessment,
decisions must then be made on the level of security needed. By levels
of security I am referring to security products that range from
essential hardware and mechanical access equipment, such as door
hardware which includes intruder locks and master key systems, to
wireless situational awareness monitoring, and every solution in
between.
A school can add basic hardware changes, blast and ballistic
resistant doors, electronic access control or monitoring. Each district
can work within their own specific needs, considering their budget as
well as the local rules and regulations.
One clear trend that security providers see is the strong need to
tie mass notification via an intercom system to a school's access
control, intrusion monitoring system and security cameras. This allows
for coordination and visibility for response teams both inside the
school as well as from local law enforcement or fire personnel in the
case of an emergency. Lack of integration with the local first
responder team can be a critical flaw in the school security process.
Now that I've walked you through the theoretical and general
aspects of school safety, I'd like to provide the Committee with some
specific examples of schools across the country where we have worked
with the administration to customize the best solutions for their needs
as well as explain the components of those systems. You will quickly
see that a one-size, fits-all approach is neither practical nor
recommended.
One of the best examples I can provide is the work that
was done with one of the largest school districts in Louisiana which
included 6,000 employees, 42,000 students from pre-K to 12th grade and
66 different schools. The district encompasses urban centers, suburban
neighborhoods, rural towns and communities.
In reviewing efficiencies and cost saving measures, the district
determined that several of their high school campus locations were
underutilized. It was decided that to fully utilize their available
space and to reduce overhead costs, each facility would integrate 7th
and 8th graders. This idea however, did not come without security
challenges. It was important that each of these locations be able to
isolate or limit the interaction between younger and older students.
The school facilities on average were 60 years old and not built with
security in mind. There were too many ways that unauthorized
individuals could enter and leave. Every school presented its own set
of challenges, multi-level, construction issues, etc.
A second example is of a school district not far from
where we are sitting today in a suburban community where the school
enrollment of approximately 27,000 is divided amongst five high
schools, eight middle schools and seventeen elementary schools. The
school division had experienced rapid growth and began to research
higher levels of student safety in the classroom. The Assistant
Superintendent for Facilities contacted us to help develop solutions to
enhance security campus-wide and system-wide and we worked closely with
the school officials to survey all properties, identify any
deficiencies, enhance security overall and pull together a 5-year plan
to make it all happen. It was important to the schools that they
increase the ability to control all traffic into and out of their
facilities as the building exteriors were still being secured with keys
and access was given to a large number of individuals. Ultimately the
schools ended up implementing a standardized template for key control
and utilization by establishing a key hierarchy throughout the
different school levels.
This hearing has started what we think should be a continued
national conversation on school security and safety that includes
experts from the field and school officials in order to learn the best
ways to protect our schools.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I applaud you and the Committee for taking
a leadership role on the critical issue of school safety. I know we can
all agree that keeping our children safe in their schools is worth all
of our time, all of our collective experience, and all of our wisdom. I
am humbled that I might play a role in this effort.
______

Chairman Kline. Thank you.
Dr. Osher, you are recognized for 5 minutes.

STATEMENT OF DR. DAVID OSHER, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAN
INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH

Mr. Osher. Good afternoon, and thank you for this
opportunity to discuss a subject vitally important to all of
us. I am David Osher, and I am a vice president at the American
Institutes for Research. AIR is a nonpartisan behavioral and
social science research organization based here in Washington.
We don't advocate for any policy position, so this is a chance
for me to talk about evidence-based practices in hopes of
helping you with your decisions.
Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes or easy solutions
to respond to the tragedy at Sandy Hook or any of the other
school shootings that have abruptly altered so many lives, but
there are steps we can take to change the school environment so
that students and teachers feel safe.
And research shows that students and teachers perform
better when their schools improve discipline by focusing on
student self-discipline, not external punishment; by promoting
healthy behaviors, not suppressing unhealthy ones, by
preventing problem behaviors rather than punishment, by
building connections to students, not removing them from the
school community, and by coordinating services systematically,
not adding services piecemeal.
Safe and successful schools create positive school climates
where students, all students, have good social and emotional
skills, feel physically and emotionally safe, are connected to
and supported by their teachers, and feel challenged and are
engaged in learning.
These schools do this by employing a three-tiered approach
to social emotional learning, positive behavioral support, the
support of student and family engagement, and addressing
students' academic and mental health needs.
For two decades I have conducted research and led national
centers, studies, and expert panels that focused on safety,
violence prevention, the conditions for learning, and student
support. Today, I would like to focus on some of my experiences
in Cleveland.
I led an audit of city schools following a 2007 shooting in
which a 14-year-old student who had been suspended for
fighting, returned to his school, which had a security guard,
shot two teachers and two students, and then took his own life.
The findings in our report were stark. While discipline was
harsh and reactive, students and faculty felt unsafe. Services
were fragmented and driven by adult desire, not by student
need, and the conditions for learning were poor.
City, school, and teacher union leaders embraced our
recommendations and implemented a strategic three-tiered
approach to improving conditions for learning and reducing
discipline problems and violence.
Here are a few of the recommendations we made in 2008. Free
up guidance counselors and school psychologists so they have
more time to counsel students. Train school administrators,
teachers, and security staff to use positive approaches to
discipline rather than reactive and punitive actions, and to
develop students in social and emotional competence, and to
better understand and communicate with the students. Develop an
early warning and intervention system to identify potential
mental health issues, and employ student support teams that
address the identified needs.
Last month, we released a paper, ``Avoid Simple Solutions
and Quick Fixes'' examining where Cleveland schools stand
today. The picture is far from perfect, but progress is clearly
being made and is attributable to the district-wide use of
student surveys to monitor progress, employing social emotional
learning in all elementary schools, transforming punitive in-
school suspension to planning centers to which students can
self-refer and where students learn self-discipline, and by
coordinating services through student support teams.
If we compare 2008/2009 to 2010/2011, which was the data we
had, the attendance rate district-wide increased 1.5 percent.
Out-of-school suspensions decreased 58.8 percent district-wide.
There were statistically significant decreases in the number of
reported behavioral incidents per school. Disobedient/
disruptive behavior went from 131.8 per school to 73.9 and the
average number of cases involving fighting and violence went
from 54 to 36 percent.
Promotion and prevention are more effective, improve
conditions for learning, and have less counterproductive or
harmful side-effects than do suppression and punishment,
particularly for vulnerable students and students of color.
Children and youth require safe, supportive schools if they
are to succeed school and thrive. These needs are particularly
great for children who struggle with the adversities of
poverty, such as students in Cleveland where all students are
eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Cleveland provides an example of what is possible, even in
hard times, and even under less than perfect conditions for
implementing student-centered policies.
Cleveland's successes are consistent with the
recommendations of the Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing
School and Community Violence, a group of prominent researchers
on school safety, which called for a balanced approach that
focused on student support and connectedness and stated that,
quote--``Reliance on metal detectors, security cameras, guards,
and entry check points is unlikely to provide protection
against all school-related shootings, including the shootings
at Sandy Hook Elementary School.''
These recommendations are not new. They came out before in
reports in response to Paducah and other studies, and I want to
thank you for your time.
[The statement of Mr. Osher follows:]

Prepared Statement of Dr. David Osher, Vice President,
American Institutes for Research

Good afternoon and thank you for this opportunity to discuss a
subject vitally important to all of us. I am David Osher, and I am a
vice president of the American Institutes for Research. AIR is a
nonpartisan behavioral and social science research organization based
here in Washington. We don't advocate for any policy position, so this
is a chance for me to talk about evidence-based practices in hopes of
helping you with your decisions.
Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes or easy solutions to
respond to the tragedy at Sandy Hook--or any of the other school
shootings that have abruptly altered so many lives. But there are steps
we can take to change the school environment so that students and
teachers feel safe. And research shows that students and teachers
perform better when their schools improve discipline by focusing on
student self-discipline, not external punishment; by promoting healthy
behaviors not suppressing unhealthy ones, by preventing on of problem
behaviors rather than punishment, building connections to students, not
removing them from the school community, and coordinating services
systematically, not adding services piecemeal.
Safe and successful schools create positive school climates where
students have good social and emotional skills, feel physically and
emotionally safe, are connected to and supported by their teachers, and
feel challenged and are engaged in learning. These schools do this by
employing a three-tiered approach to social emotional learning,
positive behavioral support, the support of student and family
engagement, and addressing students' academic and mental health needs.
For two decades I have conducted research and led national centers,
studies, and expert panels that focused on safety, violence prevention,
the conditions for learning, and student support. Today, I would like
to focus on some of my experiences in Cleveland.
I led an AIR audit of city schools following a 2007 shooting in
which a 14-year-old who had been suspended for fighting, returned to
his school--which had a security guard--shot two teachers and two
students, and then took his own life.
The findings in our report were stark. While discipline was harsh
and reactive, students and faculty felt unsafe. Services were
fragmented and driven by adult desire, not by student need, and
conditions for learning were poor.
City, school, and teacher union leaders embraced our
recommendations and implemented a strategic tiered approach to
improving conditions for learning and reducing discipline problems and
violence.
Here are a few of the recommendations we made in 2008:
Free up guidance counselors and school psychologists so
they have more time to counsel students.
Train school administrators, teachers and security staff
to use positive approaches to discipline rather than reactive and
punitive actions, to develop student social and emotional competence,
and to better understand and communicate with the students.
Develop an early warning and intervention system to
identify potential mental health issues, and employ student support
teams to address identified needs.
Last month, we released a paper--``Avoid Simple Solutions and Quick
Fixes''--examining where Cleveland schools stand today. The picture is
far from perfect, but progress clearly is being made and is
attributable to the district wide use of student surveys to monitor
progress, employing social emotional learning in all elementary
schools, transforming punitive in-school suspension to planning centers
to which students can self-refer and where students learn self-
discipline, and coordinating services through student support teams.
For example, comparing the 2008-2009 school year to the 2010-2011
year:
The attendance rate district-wide increased 1.5 percentage
points.
Out-of-school suspensions decreased 58.8 percent district
wide.
There were statistically significant decreases in the
average number of reported behavioral incidents per school.
Disobedient/disruptive behavior went from 131.8 to 73.9 per school, and
the average number of cases involving fighting/violence went from 54.5
to 36.4.
Promotion and prevention are more effective, improve conditions for
learning, and have less counterproductive or harmful side-affects than
do suppression and punishment--particularly for vulnerable students and
students of color. Children and youth require safe and supportive
schools if they are to succeed in school and thrive. These needs are
particularly great for children who struggle with the adversities of
poverty, such as students in Cleveland where all students are eligible
for free or reduced lunch.
Cleveland provides an example of what is possible, even in hard
times, and even under less than perfect conditions for implementing
student centered policies, which reduce school removal, drop out, and
the pipeline to prison.
Cleveland's successes are consistent with the recommendations of
the Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community
Violence. a group of prominent researchers on school safety, which
called for balanced approach that focused on student support and
connectedness and stated that ``reliance on metal detectors, security
cameras, guards, and entry check points is unlikely to provide
protection against all school-related shootings, including the shooting
at Sandy Hook Elementary.''
These recommendations are not new.
Thank you.
______

Chairman Kline. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Ellis, you are recognized for 5 minutes.

STATEMENT OF FREDERICK ELLIS, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF SAFETY AND
SECURITY, FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Mr. Ellis. Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Miller, and
members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to
speak with you about school security issues.
As the director of the Office of Safety and Security with
the Fairfax County Public Schools, school safety and security
have been my professional and personal focus for the last 12
and one-half years.
The Fairfax County Public Schools efforts in emergency
management and security involve many components. Emergency
management planning affects both the school and the division
wide perspectives and utilizes the four phase paradigm that is
widely accepted; mitigation/prevention, preparation, response,
and recovery.
In the Fairfax County Public Schools, each school has an
individual, site-specific plan that is updated each year and is
reviewed by staff in the Office of Safety and Security. These
plans include such things as the identification of the school
crisis management team and their respective roles, standard
language and response protocols for emergency actions,
integration of students with disabilities and special needs
into the response planning, detailed floor plans identifying
the location of utility cutoffs, communication protocols,
drills and training schedules, and the identification of staff
with specific, relevant skills.
The school plan also addresses tactical considerations for
command post locations, designated off-site evacuation
locations, bus staging areas, and parent-student reunification
procedures.
Training is provided by required drills such as fire, bus
evacuation, lockdown, and tornado drills. These are
supplemented by customized, site-specific tabletop exercises
facilitated by staff from my office. Tabletop exercises analyze
an emergency event in an informal environment. They provide
participants with an emergency scenario to analyze, identify,
and resolve issues as well as to prompt constructive discussion
and increase their awareness of the roles and responsibilities.
In addition to the individual school crisis plans, the
Fairfax County Public Schools maintain a division-wide
emergency operations plan. This plan is implemented when an
incident overwhelms a school's ability to deal with an
emergency, an incident that involves multiple sites, or when
the Fairfax County government requests the school system to
fulfill its pre-designated obligations within the Fairfax
County Emergency Operations Plan. Examples of an activation of
this plan include the response for 9/11, the sniper incidents
of 2002, and large storm incidents.
Fairfax County Public Schools has implemented many security
measures over the past several years, which include the use of
exit door numbers, access control devices at all elementary and
middle schools, an anonymous Tip Line system, interoperable
radio communications with public safety, visitor screening, and
School Resource Officers in all high and middle schools.
Much of the efforts of my office also involve the
establishment and maintenance of relationships with agencies
that we work with during an incident, such as police, the fire
and rescue department, the health department.
In emergencies, relationships are currency. Having them
facilitates communications and understanding of needs and
roles. They have to be established prior to an incident and
they require an ongoing effort.
Today schools are challenged with a variety of tasks many
of which are beyond historical expectations but are now
commonplace. Educators are individuals committed to teaching
and making the difference in the life of the child. Their
primary mission is education. They are not public safety
officials, but accept the roles they are given in today's
society.
Likewise, public safety officials are not always familiar
with school operations and needs. School administrators and
staff require training, assistance, and support for the
emergency management and security responsibilities they are
charged with and embrace.
I am often asked whether schools need more security
measures. My answer is that, ultimately, communities play a
large role in determining the nature and extent of school
security measures they are willing to accept and to fund.
Expectations need to be clearly understood and they need to
be reasonable. Statistically, schools remain incredibly safe
places for children to be. Perspective, reasonableness, and
cost are necessary criteria for communities to use in their
deliberations.
I know of no school system that guarantees safety and
security, but I do know that the professionals in the education
community will do all that they can reasonably do to maintain a
safe and secure educational environment.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you
about this important topic.
[The statement of Mr. Ellis follows:]

Prepared Statement of Frederick E. Ellis, Director,
Office of Safety and Security, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

As the director of the office of safety and security with the
Fairfax County Public Schools, school safety and security have been my
professional and personal focus for the last twelve and one half years.
Fairfax County Public Schools, in Fairfax County, Virginia, is the
eleventh largest school system in the country with more than 181,000
students, 23,000 employees, over 200 facilities comprising more than 25
million square feet and a budget of approximately $2.5 billion. It is a
very large school system in a diverse and urbanizing suburb of
Washington, D.C.
While school security encompasses many topics, my intent today is
to provide insight into how a school division addresses the many
challenges that we face by examining the emergency management processes
and briefly describing some of the security measures we have in place.
A school-centered emergency management program examines potential
emergencies and disasters based on the risk posed by likely hazards;
develops and implements programs and actions aimed toward reducing the
impact of these events on the individual school; prepares for those
risks that cannot be eliminated; prescribes the actions required to
deal with the consequences of the events and takes action to quickly
recover from the event. Emergency planning focuses on the four phases
of emergency management:
1. Mitigation/Prevention
2. Preparedness
3. Response
4. Recovery
Hazards can be classified into three categories: natural,
technological, and school specific-hazards. Natural hazards include
severe weather events. Technological hazards may involve hazardous
materials or infrastructure failures, while school specific hazards
address issues that could occur on or near a school, such as a bomb
threat, a reported weapon or police activity near the school.
Mitigation is any sustained activity that schools take to reduce
the loss of life and damage related to events that cannot be prevented,
while prevention is any step that schools can take to decrease the
likelihood that an incident will occur.
School safety audits, security and school climate surveys,
neighborhood crime data review, hazard and vulnerability analysis
efforts all play a role in the development of mitigation and prevention
strategies. Issues identified from these initiatives are used to
address physical and programmatic remediation.
The preparedness phase readies schools to respond in a rapid,
coordinated and effective manner to an emergency. Because it is not
possible to completely prevent every hazard that poses a risk,
preparedness measures can help to reduce the impact of hazards by
taking specific actions before an emergency occurs. An important aspect
of preparedness is plan development.
In the Fairfax County Public Schools, each school has an
individual, site specific plan that is updated each year and is
reviewed by staff in the office of safety and security. These plans
include such things as the identification of the school crisis
management team and their respective roles, standard language and
response protocols for emergency actions, integration of students with
disabilities and special needs into the response planning, detailed
floor plans identifying the location of utility cutoffs, communications
protocols, drills and training schedules and the identification of
staff with specific, relevant skills. The school plan also addresses
tactical considerations for command post locations, designated off-site
evacuation locations, bus staging areas and parent-student
reunification procedures.
A critical component of preparation is training. Training can take
many forms and in school divisions, these are typically drills and
tabletop exercises. Drills test a specific operation or function of
crisis and emergency plans. In Fairfax County, schools regularly
conduct a variety of drills to demonstrate the steps they should take
in an emergency. These drills include fire and bus evacuations,
lockdown and tornado drills. Tabletop exercises analyze an emergency
event in an informal environment. They provide participants with an
emergency scenario to analyze and increase their awareness of their
roles and responsibilities. The exercises are designed to prompt a
constructive discussion about existing emergency response plans as
participants identify, investigate and resolve issues. In Fairfax
County, the office of safety and security provides facilitated tabletop
exercises to schools on a rotating basis; high and middle schools
receive them every other year, while elementary schools are provided
one every three years.
When emergencies arise, schools must quickly implement the policies
and procedures developed in the prevention-mitigation and preparedness
phases to effectively manage the crisis and protect the school
community. Throughout the response phase, efforts focus on de-
escalating the emergency and taking accelerated steps toward recovery.
The response phase is often the effort to bring order to chaos and is
predictably unique to each incident.
The response phase activities include activating the school's
crisis management team, delegating responsibilities, establishing an
incident command post, activating communication and response
procedures, accounting for all students and staff, liaison with public
safety agencies and documenting actions. In Fairfax County Public
Schools, there are five universal responses: Lockdown, Secure the
Building, Shelter-in-Place, Stay Put-Stay Tuned, and Evacuation. A
lockdown is used to describe enhanced security measures taken to
protect against potentially violent intruders that may be inside the
building. Secure the building is used to prevent unauthorized entry if
the threat is outside. Shelter-in-Place procedures are used to
temporarily separate people from a hazardous outdoor atmosphere, such
as in a hazmat situation. Stay Put-Stay Tuned is implemented at the
request of public safety officials to limit the impact on the
transportation infrastructure. An Evacuation is used when locations
outside of the school building are safer than inside the school.
The recovery phase is designed to assist students, staff, and their
families in the healing process and to restore educational operations
in schools. Recovery is an ongoing process that includes not only the
mental, emotional and physical healing process of students, faculty and
staff, but a school's physical (buildings and grounds), fiscal (daily
business operations) and academic (a return to classroom learning)
recuperation. A timely return to normalcy is considered a significant
goal, for both the school and the community.
In addition to the individual school crisis plans, the Fairfax
County Public Schools maintain a divisionwide emergency operations
plan. This plan is implemented when an incident overwhelms a school's
ability to deal with an emergency, an incident that involves multiple
sites or when the Fairfax County government requests the school system
to fulfill its pre-designated obligations within the Fairfax County
Emergency Operations Plan. The purpose of the divisionwide plan is to
use school system resources to assist in the resolution of an incident.
Like the school plan, the divisionwide plan establishes a command
structure and roles, identifies lines of succession and details
provisions for staffing the inter-government agency emergency
operations center, as well as the Fairfax County Public School's
department operations center. Examples of an activation of this plan
include the response for 9-11, the sniper incidents of 2002 and large
storm incidents.
Fairfax County Public Schools has implemented many security
measures over the past several years. These include the use of exit
door numbers, access control devices at all elementary and middle
schools, an anonymous Tip Line system, interoperable radio
communications with public safety, visitor screening and School
Resource Officers in all high and middle schools.
Much of the efforts of my office also involve the establishment and
maintenance of relationships with agencies that we work with during an
incident, such as the police, the fire and rescue department, the
health department, etc. In emergencies, relationships are currency.
Having them facilitates communications and understanding of needs and
roles. They have to be established prior to an incident and they
require an ongoing effort. An excellent example of this is our School
Liaison Commander position. This individual is a Fairfax County Police
Lieutenant who is assigned to the office of safety and security and is
funded by the Fairfax County Public Schools. The position provides a
conduit for information exchange, oversees the School Resource Officer
program, participates in tabletop exercises and is a piece of our on-
scene incident command system staffing.
Today, schools are challenged with a variety of tasks, many of
which are beyond historical expectations, but are now commonplace.
Educators are individuals committed to teaching and making the
difference in the life of a child. Their primary mission is education.
They are not public safety officials but accept the roles they are
given in today's society. Likewise, public safety officials are not
always familiar with school operations and needs. School administrators
and staff require training, assistance and support for the emergency
management and security responsibilities they are charged with and
embrace.
I'm often asked whether schools need more security measures. My
answer is that, ultimately, communities play a large role in
determining the nature and extent of school security measures they are
willing to accept and to fund. Expectations need to be clearly
understood and they need to be reasonable. Statistically, schools
remain incredibly safe places for children to be. Perspective,
reasonableness and cost are necessary criteria for communities to use
in their deliberations. I know of no school system that guarantees
safety and security, but I do know that the professionals in the
education community will do all that they can reasonably do to maintain
a safe and secure educational environment.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you about this
important topic.
______

Chairman Kline. Thank you, sir.
I want to thank all the witnesses for their testimony and
for their observance of the 5-minute limit. That is probably
the best of any panel that we have ever had in this committee
ever so I trust that my colleagues are going to follow that
fine example.
I am going to reserve my questions to a little bit later in
the hearing, and I would like now to go to Dr. DesJarlais for
the first question.
Mr. DesJarlais. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank the
witnesses and all in attendance for this very important hearing
and topic that affects us all. As a father with a daughter in
kindergarten and also a freshman and a senior, I know that it
impacts each and every one of us.
Mr. Canady, can we start with you and could you tell us how
a school resource officer interacts with law enforcement
community during a critical incident?
Mr. Canady. Well, in most instances, the school resource
officer is a member of the local law enforcement agency whether
it be the sheriff's department or the police department. And
they obviously are going to have trained prior to that or they
should have in the incident command and know how to function in
that role when an incident occurs so that it is--I won't say
seamless--but almost seamless in terms of their role in that
they would certainly once incident command is established, they
would respond to the incident commander just like everyone else
and follow the processes that they issue.
Mr. DesJarlais. What would you say the role of a school
resource officer is during a typical school day?
Mr. Canady. Well, during a typical school day, it can
really vary. In my testimony I mentioned that they may be doing
traffic control one minute and, you know, a few minutes later
they are in a classroom teaching students about distracted
driving or drunk driving, whatever it may be.
They are certainly visible. They certainly, if they are
doing the job right, they are engaged with students. There is
ongoing relationship building. They certainly should be a
trusted adult that a student can come to for information, for
guidance. So they really become part of the team.
Mr. DesJarlais. And so I am guessing from what you are
saying, there is quite a difference depending on the age of the
students in the school?
Mr. Canady. Well, to some degree, yes, sir. I would say
that officers in the middle school and high school area
probably their job is similar to what I just described. At the
elementary level, traditionally a lot of the work at the
elementary level that has been done by the SRO has been in the
classroom in an educational setting.
Mr. DesJarlais. Just from discussions with educators from
around my district and throughout the committee hearings over
the 112th Congress, certainly I think that most people who are
a little older and went to school at an earlier time recognize
that there was more discipline, more firm handed discipline in
classrooms and schools than there is today.
I see a lot of frustration from our teachers and principals
feeling that their hands are somewhat tied in order to maybe
shape behaviors that could prevent some of the harmful
outcomes.
How much of an impact do you think that has or anyone else
who would like to comment on that and what could we do to help
bring a little bit more discipline back into the schools and
maybe prevent some of the tragedies that occur not necessarily
the type in the shooting, but other events.
Mr. Canady. Well, any officer that has been trained by our
association has clearly heard that they are not to have a hand
in the formal school discipline. There is not a role for our
officers in that. However, obviously, if they are walking
through the hallway and they see a student doing something that
they shouldn't, they should address that just like any other
responsible adult, but the formal school discipline we believe
belongs in the hands of the educators.
Mr. DesJarlais. Okay. Thank you.
Mr. Bond, your testimony focuses a lot on post-incident
recovery. Can you discuss in a little more detail some of the
issues that come up during this timeframe that principals need
to be prepared to deal with?
Mr. Bond. After an incident the first thing that schools
have to do is to reestablish trust with the community. If the
parents do not trust the school to keep their children safe,
then education is not going to take place at a high level. So
that is the main thing that you are trying to do is use the
media, use other methods, and involve the parents in developing
that trust relationship that the crisis has broken.
Mr. DesJarlais. Okay, just quickly because my time is
running out, how do local schools interact with the mental
health community before and after a critical incident and what
role do school-based health centers play in identifying and
assisting and referring students with social and emotional
challenges?
Mr. Bond. After school shootings and other crises, you
always have your local mental health community and NOVA from
the national come in and you have to work with students, but
you also have to work with the teachers, but most importantly,
you have got to get mental health services available to the
parents. That is where you have the biggest problem. Most kids
will feel very comfortable in talking to their teacher or
trusted adult, but you have to address mental health as a whole
community issue after a crisis.
Mr. DesJarlais. Thank you, Mr. Bond.
I yield back.
Chairman Kline. I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Miller?
Mr. Miller. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Pompei, do you have school resource officers in your
school or schools you have worked in?
Mr. Pompei. Our district does.
Mr. Miller. How do you interact with them?
Mr. Pompei. Well, you know, they collaborate with the local
law enforcement so it is a contract that they----
Mr. Miller. But how do you interact if you are counseling
students and you have resource officers. Do you talk to one
another? Do you discuss students? Do you tip one another as to
maybe problems that a student is having or not, so as you go
through the day you are aware of these----
Mr. Pompei. Sure. You will see an SRO in the office of a
school counselor quite frequently and if not, the school
counselor will seek out that SRO. Counselors are very uniquely
qualified. We advocate on behalf of the well-being of that
student and so we don't typically get involved in discipline.
We are there, sometimes we mediate, but we do remain neutral to
make sure that we keep that trusting relationship----
Mr. Miller. Mr. Canady, is that usual?
Mr. Canady. I think that is very consistent. And it is
something that we----
Mr. Miller. You have separate jobs but you have----
Mr. Canady. Very separate jobs but at the same time we have
the same interests and that is the well-being of the student
and so an SRO who is not interacting effectively with their
counselor either doesn't understand the job or is not well-
trained.
Mr. Miller. Mr. Ellis, I think you said something that we
say very often in this committee is that the schools are among
the safest places in our environment for students. I just
wonder how we measure that.
Mr. Pompei, you have discussed and I discussed in my
opening that there are a lot of students on campus who are
living with a certain level of fear or intimidation or acts of
violence against them that are undetected, you are not aware
of, but I just--what are we talking about when we talk about
this blanket statement of safety. Is that against major
incidents of violence or----
Mr. Ellis. My reference was for homicides of youth on
school property because that seems to be the perspective a lot
of people take. And some of the statistics for instance, the
Bureau Justice statistics funded by the Department of Education
for instance from 1992 through 2010 revealed that less than 2
percent of all homicides of youth from 5 to 18 occur at a
school.
Mr. Miller. Mr. Pompei, what happens to incidences of
violence--I mean of bullying and intimidation? You mentioned
you are concerned that when you were growing up and the
question of whether it is your day and how that was handled and
the intimidation and the physical actions against you. How is
that handled today in assessing the environment of the school
and how do resource officers play into that assessment of
safety?
Mr. Pompei. Well, quite frankly it is many times on certain
topics, completely ignored. There is a lack of professional
development that equips educators to respond effectively and
appropriately using research proven strategies to address all
acts of bullying but there are certain ones in more
conservative areas that are completely ignored and so students
such as those who identify as LGBT are forced to fend for
themselves.
Many times they don't even have the support at home so, you
know, in my district, we look at research. We look at what
creates a safe, inclusive welcoming school climate and then we
ensure that the educators in my district have the professional
development so they could then all act together in making sure
that all students feel safe, welcoming.
Another thing that school counselors do that are--that is
unique, if I could share--is that we will work to change those
behaviors. So while the principal may order a suspension, the
school counselor will work with that student to create pro-
social skills and to curve that behavior so that they don't
continue to bully and are using different ways to deal with
their anger or their aggression.
Mr. Miller. Mr. Osher, that is sort of along the lines of
what you discussed, the changes made in the Cleveland District
in terms of internalizing these discussions between faculty,
counselors, and students and then portioning out some
responsibility and discipline.
Mr. Osher. That is right. I mean, if I can connect your
questions here, I think the real challenge in schools is not
the high, the low incidence and very traumatic events that we
want to prevent but it is also low-level aggression that takes
place consistently and persistently as reflected in bullying
statistics and things like that.
And that I would add to the issue that schools are safe,
but if one looks at the 2009 Institute of Medicine Report on
the Prevention of Mental Emotional Behavioral Disorders, one of
the points they make is there are school effects and if I am a
gay student in a school where I am being treated in a certain
way or I am a vulnerable student and feeling disconnected, that
has mental health implications that are harmful to me and can
really affect the course of my life.
These can be addressed. They can be addressed by social
emotional learning. You heard from Mr. Pompei before in terms
of the meta-analysis. They can be addressed by doing something
that actually was taking place at Sandy Hook, which was a
program like responsive classrooms.
We have class meetings at the beginning of the day that
really connect young people and teachers and enable people to
really act with each other in a respectful, healthy, and
academically productive way. Cleveland is actually moving in
the same direction now. They are trying to create class
meetings to connect people on top of the social and emotional
learning so you can really build a fabric of community that
holds people together.
Mr. Miller. Thank you.
Chairman Kline. Thank you.
Dr. Heck?
Mr. Heck. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to all of the
panel members for being here today and providing us with your
experiences and recommendations, and I understand a
comprehensive approach to decreasing school violence is a lot
more than just talking about gun violence whether it is from
disruptive behaviors from bullying to gun violence but I want
to concentrate on the gun violence issues.
You know, in the wake of Columbine, which seemed to be the
national wake-up call, we saw then that police departments
started to develop the response to the active shooter
incidents, schools started to develop emergency plans. I think
Mr. Canady and Mr. Ellis talked about, I mean, you are pretty
much describing national incident management system approach to
emergency management and what the schools have done.
So a sharing of information of maybe how a school CCTV can
be accessed by law enforcement, blueprints, things along those
lines. But all of those things are reactive. It requires an
incident to take place to implement the plan or to you know,
kind of have the police department show up.
So what proactive measures can we put in place so that we
are preventing and not responding to the incidences? That in my
mind is the goal. We want to prevent the incident. We want to
be prepared to respond but hopefully, never have to respond.
And what role should Congress play in that process?
And I would say, Mr. Bond, in hindsight, having had one of
the first incidences, what things, in hindsight would you have
thought could have been in place to actually help prevent the
incident as opposed to being better able to respond to the
incident in Paducah?
Mr. Bond. Having everyone responsible for school safety.
And by that, I mean teachers, and especially students. Students
have information about what is dangerous in school, what is
going on. They know more about what is going on in school than
the principal does. In my particular school, eight kids saw the
gun at school 4 days before the shooting took place.
Not one single one of those kids told me, told a teacher,
nor did they tell their parents or Sunday school teacher or
preacher. Information. Information is the most valuable thing
that we can have in school and that comes from having trusting
relationships with teachers, trusting relationships with
students, and students taking responsibility for their own
school safety.
Mr. Heck. So, I will go to Mr. Pompei then. So with that
perspective, being a school counselor, how do we do that? How
do we get the students to share that information or be more
proactive in their own defense?
Mr. Pompei. Sure. Well, the school counselor is actually
that confidential space that kids will go to and share those
really scary circumstances whether it is something they see
like a gun in the school or something that they are dealing
with internally or something they are experiencing at home or
in the community.
I think the issue is, is that when I mentioned in my
testimony, the ratios of school counselors to students is so
amazingly high that students know that, and so the likelihood
that they are going to seek out the support, that safe place
inside the school counselor's office are somewhat minimized
when they realize that if they put in a note to see the
counselor, it might be 2 days before they get seen or 3 days or
the counselor might just want to just talk about it casually in
the hall because they know that they might not be able to call
that student in because their caseload is so high.
But when you have caseloads low, these school counselors
really can create those trusting wonderful relationships with
students where they, and I would like to say they would more
than likely come to that school counselor to say, ``Hey. I need
to tell you something confidentially. This is what we are
experiencing. This is what we see.'' So that school counselor
can then intervene.
Mr. Heck. Mr. Canady, I know you are primarily on building
a rapport between the resource officer and the students; that
certainly is a proactive approach, but anything else that you
would look at that would try to help prevent these incidents
rather than trying to respond to them?
Mr. Canady. The relationship issue is so huge. You know, I
think it is the most important one. You can get more
information from a student when you have a positive
relationship with them than you can in trying to interrogate
someone. There is no question about that. So the relationship
is huge, but also, I would add to that, relationship with
parents. When the parents trust the SRO or the school counselor
or school administrator, they are more willing to share
information, which can be very helpful.
Mr. Heck. Great. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back.
Mr. Bond. May I address that----
Chairman Kline. I thank the gentleman. We will get back to
that, I am sure.
Mr. Andrews, you are recognized.
Mr. Andrews. Thank you Mr. Chairman. I thank the witnesses
for very, very good testimony. I want to ask your position on
something. What is your opinion of authorizing personnel other
than police officers to bear arms in schools? Mr. Bond, what do
you think?
Mr. Bond. I think overall, it would be detrimental.
Mr. Andrews. Okay. I just want to be brief.--Mr. Canady,
what do you think?
Mr. Canady. Our association took a strong stance on that
from the beginning and that was we would not favor the
wholesale arming of teachers. We realize there are unique
situations.
Mr. Andrews. Mr. Pompei?
Mr. Pompei. Absolutely disagree with that.
Mr. Andrews. Mr. Bontrager?
Mr. Bontrager. I am a security expert, I am not an expert
on gun control and what we focus on is how to, if the schools
decide that that is where they want to go, how do we make it as
safe as possible.
Mr. Andrews. I understand.
Mr. Osher?
Mr. Osher. One of my expertise is in implicit bias from
social psychology. It is a very dangerous, risky, proposition.
Mr. Andrews. Mr. Ellis?
Mr. Ellis. I would agree with that. I think it is a very
risky proposition, and I would not be in favor of it.
Mr. Andrews. Mr. Pompei, the National Association of School
Counselors has a recommended ratio of 250 students to one
counselor. What is your opinion about that ratio? Do you think
it is accurate? Good?
Mr. Pompei. I mean, to be honest, I would love it to be
even lower than that because of the kind of work I know I could
do, but I can tell you, speaking from experience in California
where our ratio is above 1,000:1 and I can tell you the type of
work that we know as school counselors we need to be doing, is
not being done and it is not because there is not a desire to
have it done. So to do the preventative work that needs to be
done----
Mr. Andrews. Thank you.
Mr. Osher, your data show apparently that two of the really
effective strategies for reducing school violence are freeing
up guidance counselors and psychologists. They have more time
to counsel students and develop an early warning intervention
system which I think strongly implies a lot of counseling
interaction with students.
The national ratio of students to counselors is 470:1,
which means even to come down to the present ratio, we would
really have to double the number of school counselors. Would
you favor a federal program to help finance such a result?
Mr. Osher. I think that such a program is consistent with
evidence that I have seen. Let me just add one thing that is
also important that in many jurisdictions that I have been in,
school counselors spend their time doing schedules and
readmitting students who have been suspended. What you want to
do is free them up, just like you would want to free school
psychologists up to use the skills they have so that they can
build the relationships and participate----
Mr. Andrews. Apropos that point, the Bill and Linda Gates
Foundation commissioned a study a while back. They asked
students about their perceptions of their counselors. And 60
percent of the students gave their counselors either a fair or
poor grade, 35 percent of the students gave them a poor grade,
the lowest one, 48 percent of the students said that they felt
that they were quote--``A face in the crowd,'' as opposed to
really understanding their counselor had some sense of who they
were.
Now I attribute that frankly to the overwhelming workload
the counselors have both in terms of the number of students
they have and then the additional workload besides counseling.
Do you think that there should be some guidelines or
suggestions or rules that govern what duties school districts
can assign to counselors?
I mean, I am very sensitive to not micromanaging what our
schools do, and I am sure Mr. Bond would be well aware of why
that is, but it does strike me that counselors are utility
infielders. They are doing administrative scheduling work. Some
of them are even involved in transportation work in some
districts. Do you think that we should impose some requirements
that they stick to the core mission? What do you think, Mr.
Osher?
Mr. Osher. I think when everyone is making policy, one has
to try to structure it so that it is utilized well, and whether
it is through guidelines, whether it is through technical
assistance and support, I think it is important for people to
know that this is an important investment and it needs to be
used well.
Mr. Andrews. Mr. Pompei, do you want to comment on that?
Then my time is up.
Mr. Pompei. Yes, the American School Counselor Association
naturally has a national model that highlights the type of
items that school counselors should be focusing on their day
even to the point of percentage of time they should be
focusing. It also will list those for example for
administrators and school district directors to highlight what
school counselors should not be focusing on.
Mr. Andrews. I think it is really inspiring the way you
have overcome your very difficult experience to help other
young people. We appreciate that very much.
Mr. Pompei. Thank you.
Chairman Kline. Thank the gentleman.
Mr. Walberg?
Mr. Walberg. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you to the panel for being here on this important
issue and challenging situation.
Mr. Canady, you acted for, as I understand it, over a
decade as a supervisor for your local school services division
and now you serve in a national capacity. I guess the first
question I have is how have you witnessed the role of law
enforcement change in dealing with school safety over the
years?
Mr. Canady. Well, one of the most important ways that I
have witnessed the change is the SRO actually becoming a part
of the safety team and a part of the plan. SROs who again are
well-trained and understand the job get very engaged in the
plan. They get very engaged in helping the school to practice
the plan, different elements of it. So those are some of the
changes that I think are significant.
Mr. Walberg. I represent school districts like small rural
Hillsdale County and others, larger like Lansing, Jackson,
Monroe County. Is there a different role that must be taken at
the local level between communities?
Mr. Canady. As far as between the law enforcement agencies
in the community?
Mr. Walberg. Law enforcement agencies, the whole issue of
security, based upon the size situation of the community.
Mr. Canady. Yes, I think one of the things that definitely
needs to happen is more focus on training. Of course, we train
police officers to work in schools, but our training is also
available to school administrators. So in those community
environments, the teams need to be training together. School
administration, law enforcement, fire department, they need to
be working together in a safety team.
Mr. Walberg. The principles are the same, but there are
unique situations, right? One size doesn't fit all?
Mr. Canady. I would say that one size does not fit all.
There are very unique situations out there and yes.
Mr. Walberg. Thank you.
Mr. Bond, in your testimony, you state, and I quote--``That
the most effective way to prevent acts of violence targeted at
schools is by building trusting relationships with students and
others in the community so that threats come to light and can
be investigated as appropriate. The solution is a matter of
school culture. It is a matter of community engagement. It is a
matter of public health''--end quote. Why doesn't that
statement include any mention of federal involvement?
Mr. Bond. Because what I was addressing here is how we
prevent school violence at the community. Of course, the
federal government has oversight over all of those, but the
federal government has oversight, they have the funding
capacity over all of that I did mention.
Mr. Walberg. Okay.
Mr. Bontrager, in your testimony, you talked about your
work to secure local schools over the years and can you give us
a sense of some of the typical--if there is any such thing as
typical--but the typical security items that schools need to
protect students?
Mr. Bontrager. You are absolutely right. There is no
typical solution and it starts with a core solution that is
normally around what we would call mechanical hardware. There
is lots of openings, so there is lots of locks and access
points and one of the most important parts is the control of
the keys; who has the ability to gain access.
So having control of a keying system so that you know who
can get into what portion of what room, what portion of the
building, et cetera, and then it goes out from there. If there
is a desire to add access control, electronic access control
and video, but it starts at the core with mechanical. It goes
to video and alarms and staff protection and notification from
there.
Mr. Walberg. Okay, thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Kline. Thank the gentleman.
Mr. Scott, you are recognized.
Mr. Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
To follow up on Dr. Heck's observations, a forensic
psychologist at the University of Virginia, Dewey Cornell says
in his presentations that if your school shooting prevention
program begins when the shooter is at the door, it is too late.
With that in mind, Mr. Osher, your testimony mentions that
promotion and prevention are more effective. What do you mean
by promotion and prevention?
Mr. Osher. Sure. When I think about promotion--when I talk
about promotion, I mean building assets. Assets can be through
social emotional learning that develops my ability to stop and
think before I do something; a competency. It can be my
relationships with the counselor like Mr. Pompei.
Prevention is when we do things to try to prevent bad
things from happening. When I think about positive behavioral
interventions and supports that stop teachers from reacting to
students or stop security officers from being negative, that is
a preventive behavior.
We need to do both of them, but we want both people to know
not to jump over a bridge and we also at the same time want to
have railings that would prevent people from jumping over a
bridge.
Mr. Scott. I think you mentioned that the prevention and
promotion initiatives have to be comprehensive.
Mr. Osher. Yes.
Mr. Scott. What does that mean?
Mr. Osher. Often times schools and districts try to do one
thing and they get poor results. Comprehensive is, I think, has
at least two components. One component is thinking about tiered
interventions, what you do for everybody, what you do for some
people who are at a more elevated level of need whether it is
academically or behaviorally, and what you do for people who
have greater needs.
But comprehensive is also connecting the dots and often
what happens in schools and districts and in public policy is
that the dots are not connected. So it is thinking about the
connections between what we do in security and what we do to
make--help students be engaged. Those things are not
disconnected events.
When I have a metal detector outside of the school and
people are waiting on line to get in and they end up getting to
class late, and then a teacher may not let them in or push them
in the hall because of that or the classroom dynamic is
disrupted, those things are connected and we have to have plans
that address all of them.
Mr. Scott. Thank you. You also make a point that prevention
and promotion are less counterproductive and have fewer harmful
side effects than suppression and punishment. What kind of
counterproductive or harmful side effects were you talking
about?
Mr. Osher. One big harmful side effect is the
disproportionate exclusion from education for poor kids and
children of colors and children with emotional and behavioral
disabilities. It is the issues that the Council and state
governments report that came out of Texas last year raised that
this is a major issue.
The data are consistent across the country regarding
profound disparities and what we also know, say from a place
like New York where I am working right now, is consistently--
what is happening is students doing stupid things and end up
being criminalized, and the first step may be a summons, but
the second step that that same person does who may be more
likely to be profiled or because they have an emotional problem
to be picked up is that they have a summons and the next thing
you know you have a bench warrant and judges and district
attorneys in New York City have been talking about their
concern with that part of the pipeline to prison.
Mr. Scott. Are you talking about zero tolerance policies?
Mr. Osher. The data on the way in which zero-tolerance
policies are implemented are highly problematic. And again,
these are functioned to deny opportunities to learn to the
students who are removed, but we also know from research that
they had impacts on the other students including their
willingness to trust adults.
Mr. Scott. What does your research show about police in
schools, the SRO----
Mr. Osher. I can't hear you----
Mr. Scott. What does your research show about SROs? The
police in the schools?
Mr. Osher. There is little good research, but I can tell
you from TA centers that I have worked that on the one hand we
have seen good SROs and their work is consistent with the
Denver plan that you have heard, that people may have heard
about.
On the other hand, I think the issue is that with scarce
resources, there are opportunity costs and when I was listening
before to Mr. Pompei I think about a school in Chicago that
replaced all security personnel with a counselor for each grade
and as well as a counselor for the first year of college, which
along with focusing on people's commitment to each other,
reduced fully the amount of violence in the school and that has
persisted for now 5 years.
Thinking I might get a question like this, I checked with
Chicago security yesterday to get the answer and so there is an
opportunity cost even if something is good.
Chairman Kline. Thank you. The gentleman's time has
expired.
Dr. Roe?
Mr. Roe. I thank the chairman for yielding.
And I want to thank the panel. I have certainly learned a
lot here today and I know when I was in school and perhaps any
of you can take this question. I don't ever recall a school
shooting. I grew up on a farm and I grew up hunting. I grew up
around guns.
As soon as I was big enough, my family showed me how to
hunt and shoot and I look back and looked at the data. There
have been 137 school shootings since 1980--and I didn't go back
further than that--with 297 deaths, fatalities that may not
have included Sandy Hook. 2,000 kids each year die in
automobile accidents, children do. It is a far bigger problem,
but what I have--car wrecks are.
Someone, I have forgotten who it is on the panel said that
schools are safe places and for the most part, they really are
and to Mr. Scott's comment, I want to brag on the SRO program.
In my county next to me, Sullivan County Tennessee, Kingsport
is the major city in that county and its resource officer
prevented--a man came into school with a gun and she stood
there and faced this man down. One of the bravest women I have
ever met in my life, and I don't know how many lives she saved,
but I think the school resource officer program is great.
I also agree that the counseling, as Mr. Andrews said, is
woefully underdone. I remember when I got out of high school I
went to the counselor, the school counselor one time in 4
years. That was to tell me what I was supposed to do with the
rest of my life, and just like you said, I sort of blew that
off and went on.
So it is basically worthless. I hate to say that about Ms.
Marable but it was basically worthless, and I just wonder on
the--on the SROs, what we are doing our community, in my
district is we are raising the resources now locally, put an
SRO in each school in our system.
I think that is a good thing to do, but I think the other
thing I learned today is we need to go a step further and make
sure that we have got the prevention and as you all point out
the planning and the training and the reevaluation of things on
a regular basis. It is not like you do your will once when you
are 25, put it on the shelf, and never get it out again until
you are in the graveyard.
I think that is a great point you made that these things
change each day, and Mr. Canady, I would like for you to tell
me about in your association, what number of schools across the
country are covered by SROs? Do you know how many? The number
or anything?
Mr. Canady. I am sorry, I couldn't hear the last part of
your question.
Mr. Roe. In other words, how many schools have an SRO, a
resource officer there?
Mr. Canady. The best estimates we been able to come up with
are around 10 percent. We think it is somewhere around 10
percent. We don't see a lot beyond that.
Mr. Roe. So it is a very low number then.
Mr. Canady. Yes, sir.
Mr. Roe. It is, and I agree with you. What I have seen when
I--and I have got so tired of adults here in the last election
that a week before the election, I went to seven schools and
visited them and all of them had a resource officer and they--
at least the students I saw around--he was part of the school
system or she.
They were very much a part of--I mean, a lot of the kids,
maybe they had gotten to know these folks and everything, but
they seemed to interact. I was amazed at how well and how much
trust they had and I think that is--goes for both Mr. Pompei,
you and Mr. Canady, the trust that the students gain to when
they get to know if you take the time to get out and do that
and I think they will share a lot of things with the resource
officer, with the school counselor if they are available and it
sounds like they are not available if only 10 percent of
schools have them and if in your case in California where one
in 1000, that is, that is almost as well not have one if you
have that few. Any comment?
Mr. Canady. Well, it certainly, you know, we are not
calling for more police in schools. What we are asking for are
the ones that go in the schools that they are properly trained.
However, I certainly know the benefits of an SRO. I have seen
it firsthand for several years, and I can certainly speak to
that and I believe any school could benefit from one again if
they are properly selected properly trained.
Mr. Roe. Mr. Bond?
Mr. Bond. Is Campbell County Tennessee in your district,
Mr. Roe?
Mr. Roe. No sir, just out of it.
Mr. Bond. Just out of your district. In 2005 in Campbell
County, an assistant principal was killed. And that school did
not have an SRO and they heard a kid had a gun on campus and
two assistant principals and the principal tried to disarm him.
He shot all three of them in 3 seconds. One died, one has a
bullet an inch behind his heart, and the principal had his
bladder exploded. Had they had an SRO, they would have been
able to search that young man without that happening.
Mr. Roe. I think the decision has been made in our
community and I am ready to yield back is that we are going to
have SROs, and I certainly will take the other things back from
this panel.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Kline. Gentleman's time is expired.
Mrs. McCarthy?
Mrs. McCarthy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I truly thank
you for having this hearing.
I am hopeful that we are going to have more hearings on
school safety because the testimony that we have heard today,
which I think is excellent and I think each person here has put
out some good points. But the truth of the matter is, we don't
know, whether most schools can even have an SRO; we don't know
if they can afford it.
Counselors, we know that we don't have enough counselors.
My former life was a nurse. I know darn well we don't have
enough nurses in schools, and we know, especially in the grade
schools and the middle schools that is where most kids that are
troubled are first referred to services. The nurse brings them
to the counselor or to someone that would need help.
But, you know, there is a lot of people here--certainly
here in this committee--know that I am not a stranger to the
debate on gun violence and how can we prevent it. I certainly
offered the last major piece of legislation on this issue that
had to do with Virginia Tech, but I have to say that I agree
with Mr. Ellis that what happened in Connecticut was a
terrible, terrible tragedy, but I don't want my schools to
start to panic because the majority of my schools they are the
safest places some of these young people go to especially in
certain neighborhoods and depending on the community that they
are living from.
We certainly know that a lot of young people are killed
going to school and coming out of school or hanging out at the
school. So I think that, you know, while this committee can do
some work to make schools safer from gun violence, you know, my
personal belief is that we need to do something in tandem with
trying to reduce gun violence outside the school--and that has
to do with gun violence prevention--this is something that
everybody should be thinking about.
Mr. Palmer, you know, couple years ago, I was the
chairwoman here on Healthy Families and Communities
Subcommittee and I had a hearing on cyber bullying, and even to
this day, we do not have enough information in our schools to
talk about cyber bullying.
We have worked with many, many organizations, Girl Scouts
of America, who found out their young ladies some of them the
worst of those that were actually, we used to call it ``picking
on a kid''. It is not that way anymore and something that goes
on Facebook is there forever, and we need to do more on that
and I think that is important and that is something that can be
done within the school.
So I understand what you went through and I really
appreciate that you took that and made it your career to help
others and I think that is extremely important and
unfortunately some of these sad things that happen in our lives
makes us activists in one way or the other.
But Mr. Canady, I was interested in what you were saying.
You mentioned that the school resource officers should always
operate with a memorandum of understanding between law
enforcement and the school district. Is this always the case?
Mr. Canady. I am sorry, I couldn't hear the last part.
Mrs. McCarthy. In your testimony, when you were speaking,
you had said that the school and the SROs should actually have
a memorandum of understanding on how to work together.
Mr. Canady. Yes----
Mrs. McCarthy. Is this always the case?
Mr. Canady. I understand the question now. It is not always
the case, unfortunately. It should be. That is the foundation
for a program to be successful. Without that, it is very
difficult for it to succeed.
So the MOU is one of the things we have been teaching for
23 years now, and I see that as to some degree, not that I know
the details, but it appears to me that is what is happening in
Denver is that the city and school district are coming together
and putting an MOU in place and agreeing to work together.
Mrs. McCarthy. And when we talk about possibly if it is
only 10 percent of having school resources, SROs in the
schools, obviously what we are going through here, whether the
money comes from Washington, goes down to the state from the
state to our schools, we are not going to have, never have the
resources that are needed unfortunately.
But I also believe very, very strongly as we, many of us
have been working on reducing gun violence, a strong component
of that is really to be able to have mental health providers in
schools, whether they are psychologist, psychiatrists. I don't
know too many schools that have a psychiatrist, inside the
school, talk to the teachers.
The teachers can pick out these young people that have
problems right away, but then how do we get the parents to
react to that. So these are a lot of things that I happen to
think this committee should really be looking into because if
we are going to keep our schools as safe as possible, I think
that we really, really have to have a comprehensive program.
Thank you.
Chairman Kline. The gentlelady's time has expired. We are
looking at votes probably in the next 20 to 25 minutes. So
after discussion with the ranking member, I am going to reduce
members' time to 3 minutes instead of 5 minutes so pay
attention.
Mr. Rokita, you are recognized.
Mr. Rokita. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I also want to thank all of you for your testimonies. It
has been very educational for me. I happen to be the
subcommittee chair for K-12 here on this committee and I share
Ranking Member McCarthy's comments as well on everything she
said on these issues.
So let me quickly--I also happen to be a member of the
budget committee here in the House and so my mind especially
this time of year turns to that type of work.
For Mr. Bond, maybe Mr. Ellis as well and anyone else who
wants to respond, how much does it cost local school districts
to develop and implement a school safety plan? Especially
noting that it is a living document.
Mr. Bond. School safety plan is just part of what goes into
being the administrator and professional development. A day of
professional development, 1 day of professional development
costs one, two-hundredths of the school's budget.
Mr. Rokita. Okay.
Mr. Bond. So----
Mr. Rokita. Mr. Ellis, anything to add to that?
I don't mean to cut you off, but----
Mr. Ellis. I think the simple answer is it depends. It
depends on the expertise----
Mr. Rokita. Are you a lawyer? [Laughter.]
Mr. Ellis. No, I am not. I think--if I could finish--it
depends on the expertise available in the school system. It
depends on the expertise available in the local community, for
instance through the Office of Emergency Management and
locality, what kind of resources can come to bare to assist the
school to develop those kinds of plans.
Mr. Rokita. Do any of you know if there is any specific
federal program or funding that goes to helping plan these or
create these plans?
Mr. Ellis. There used to----
Mr. Bond. Title----
Mr. Rokita. Mr. Bond?
Mr. Bond. Title IV that used to exist, Title IV all went to
school safety in the----
Mr. Rokita. No, but for the planning? Do you have a
flexibility to use that money to create your plan and implement
it?
Mr. Bond. Title IV allowed you to develop the plan, have
professional development on it, bring in expertise, yes, Title
IV does that.
Mr. Ellis. And there used to be grants----
Mr. Rokita. Mr. Ellis?
Mr. Ellis [continuing]. Through the Department of
Education's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, the REMS
Grants, the Readiness and Emergency Management in Schools. It
is my understanding those do not exist anymore since 2011.
Mr. Rokita. Okay.
Mr. Bontrager, real quick, while I have you here, thank you
for your presence in Indiana, too. I played hockey just down
the street from where you guys have 1500 or so employees.
Your testimony talks about how educators have a lot on
their plates trying to educate students and are now expected to
be--people trying to educate students are now expected to be an
expert on school security. Can you talk a little bit more about
how private companies can help to defray some of these costs
and so forth?
And when you put the hardware in, do you kind of just turn
it over or do you help the training as well?
Mr. Bontrager. So two things. I think a lot of the
solutions, a lot of the products exist in the market and the
schools need to be made aware of them as opposed to trying to
figure out what can we do, we need to find a way to pair them
with people that know what the opportunities, what the
solutions are that can be implemented at those schools.
And no, the answer to your second question is we provide
training specifically for people as simple as locking systems
to wireless locks. We bring them to our facilities to train the
employees in the school as to how they work so that they can
train others and keep the program alive and keep the integrity
of the program as the years go on.
Mr. Rokita. Thank you, all. My time is expired.
Chairman Kline. The gentleman's time has expired.
Mr. Courtney? And there will be a little bit of latitude
here, understanding your connection.
Mr. Courtney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And again I just wanted to make a note that as someone who
represents a district that is about a 50-minute drive from
Newtown, I really want to thank the chairman for holding this
hearing.
This is the first hearing in the House side since the Sandy
Hook incident took place and I just want you to know that it
has not gone unnoticed and hopefully, some of our colleagues in
other areas of jurisdiction in the house are going to take the
incredible outpouring of reaction in response to Newtown as
seriously as you did. And again, with that, I just, again, want
to reiterate my thanks.
Thank you to the panel. I am sort of an all-of-the-above
guy in terms of a lot of the ideas that are being presented
here today. You know, in particular, the teamwork between
school resource officers, school health base centers, school
counselors is something I have witnessed repeatedly over the
last month and a half or so talking to school districts in
Connecticut and they are a team when they are working the right
way.
And also what I heard is that one of the reasons why it is
not like the good old days is that kids are coming to school
with severe diagnosed conditions of mental health illness at
shockingly young ages and the one item that I heard again,
repeatedly, from school counselors and educators is the fact
that again, even when you have got a fairly robust system of
counselors and school-based health centers, the fact is, is
that sometimes you need to refer out into the community for
pediatric psychiatrists and adolescent psychiatrists.
And in a state with Yale Medical School and UConn Health
Center turning out physicians, this is not an area of
profession where frankly we don't have near enough bodies out
there to deal. I mean, the waiting time for even emergency
situations is just, it is really just unacceptable.
And I just want to see, Mr. Pompei if you can sort of
confirm that experience as well; the need to refer out, which
is required sometimes, is really very difficult.
Mr. Pompei. Absolutely. School counselors, school nurses,
we very much are aware of who is in the community. So part of
our job is that middle person, that collaborator with the
communities. So we are the person the administrator will come
to if they find out that there is a need because they know the
school counselor will have access in their file drawer right,
you know, readily available to make sure that they can make
those recommendations.
We work very, very closely with the community-based mental
health professionals for long-term care and then we collaborate
with them so once they are getting that long-term care, we can
provide the changes that are needed to make a positive
transition for that student to come back to school, making sure
we are working with the teachers to say hey, these are triggers
for the student and making sure that they are getting the
training and then meeting with the student as follow up for the
rest of the school day.
Mr. Courtney. So again, as we try to consider what to do in
response to the situation, you know, I think it is important
for us to know that there is a loan forgiveness program for
pediatric and adolescent psychiatry, which through the National
Health Service Corps, which is going to expire this year, and
to me, this is an issue which our committee should look at.
It deals with the needs of young people and it deals with
obviously a workforce gap that is out there and we can fix that
by re-extending that.
And I would just lastly add, Mr. Bontrager, your point
about trying to find a place for people to sort of get best
practices, the REMS technical assistance program at the U.S.
Department of Education actually still does exist. They do do
webinars. They do have online information, but frankly, we
should also try and follow that up with some more resources,
and I don't know if you want to comment on that, and I will be
done.
Mr. Bontrager. Yes, I know it is the TA does exist, but the
grants are no longer being offered for localities.
Mr. Courtney. Right.
Mr. Osher. Could I just then say that the Department of
Education has brought the REMS TA Center along with the
National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments
that I lead together to make sure that we coordinate our
activities in response to these issues and to try to make those
connections.
Chairman Kline. Thank the gentleman.
Mr. Guthrie?
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bond, for coming up from home. I appreciate
you being here and I know what happened in your school, the
tragedy was there, as the way you reacted, your school, the
Paducah community is something that--I know it still
reverberates there and we appreciate you coming here to share
your experiences because hopefully there are very few people
that have the experiences you have and you can share those to
other schools.
But my question I guess since in 1998, the legislature
passed in Kentucky the school safety at Eastern Kentucky
University bullying and all the things that went forward. And
since 1997, you have now in school safety, what now that you
knew then, what have you learned or what do you think is
available to professional development, what you would have
learned, what your teachers learn--I know this is very
speculative--but if you knew then, what you know now, do you
think Mr. Carneal would have been prevented from doing what--
other than--hopefully a kid now will say, ``I saw a gun at
school.'' Hopefully that--that would hopefully be evident, but
what other things? Because I understand he was a mentally ill
and troubled student in a lot of ways.
Mr. Bond. I think what I have learned, Mr. Guthrie, is that
communication cannot be replaced with anything; money, any
commitment, communication with the people involved in the
school, the trusting each other, understanding that we are all
responsible for each other cannot be replaced by locks, police
officers, cameras. That is the ultimate thing that we have to
develop. We all play a part of that; SROs, counselors,
principals, school nurses. We are all in this together.
Mr. Guthrie. When you see somebody with his behavior now
today, there are--I mean, he was a loner, understanding a lot
of the----
Mr. Bond. No, sir. Mr. Carneal was an A/B student. He was
in the band.
Mr. Guthrie. I knew he did well, but I----
Mr. Bond. His father was an attorney. His sister was a
valedictorian.
Mr. Guthrie. Yes, I have met her.
Mr. Bond. He wasn't a loner. He had never had a
disciplinary write up in his life.
Mr. Guthrie. It just----
Mr. Bond. He had never been in the principal's office for
being in trouble until he brought all those guns and killed
those people.
Mr. Guthrie. Because that would be difficult to spot
somebody like that. That is what the concern is, I guess. We
appreciate you Mr. Pompei went to the counseling--how you----
Mr. Pompei. Well, I hear from my colleagues in like
sometimes when school counselors will go into a lesson in a
classroom and I have been in a classroom where I have noticed a
behavior that in our--you know, training that school counselors
get when we get credentials, that sometimes we notice things
that teachers or an administrator that never had that training
can spot.
And then that is when we will start to work with that
student so that we can deal with and try to, you know, probe
and find out if something is going on there. I am not saying
that a school counselor would have been able to identify that,
but it is very common for a school counselor to spot things
because of the training we receive that other educators at the
school system might not. So----
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you.
I yield back.
Chairman Kline. Gentleman's time has expired.
Ms. Wilson?
Ms. Wilson. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I think that in every tragic incident we have within school
violence we always end up saying someone should have done
something or someone could have done something to prevent this
and I think that there is not a one-size-fits-all for all
schools.
I represent a school district, two school districts; one
that has a full police force, the other has just a few SROs,
but that is the difference in the school districts. But I think
one thing that should be available to all schools is enough
counselors, enough social workers, and mentors for the
children. That is all of them. Whether they have SROs or
whatever else they have, and I don't think it is so much for
the counselor to detect who needs help.
The way that the funding is now for counselors, there are
so few, so children who have problems relating to their
parents, relating to their peers, they don't have anyone that
they really trust in the school to speak with because there are
so few counselors and they are always busy. They are planning
for college and testing, et cetera.
So the one thing I think we need to do is expand the pool
of school counselors, and social workers who can make home
visits after the school counselor gives them recommendations
and also mentors from the community because a lot of times it
is just a matter of miscommunication. ``I don't know who I
could have gone to for help.''
And I have had the opportunity to talk to so many children
who are in prison, in jail, with just one person being
available to help them through a bad day, to help them through
anger, to help them through bullying, to help them through
mommy and daddy getting a divorce, or mommy getting beat-up the
night before, or mommy is a crack addict, whatever.
But to me, I would like to find out from the panel: how do
you feel about increasing the numbers of counselors? I heard
someone say that one school had a counselor for every grade
level. What a difference it would make for children in schools.
And I would like to get your reaction. I am a former school
principal and----
Chairman Kline. The gentlelady's time has expired.
I think it is an excellent question. We would like to get
that for the record if we could from the witnesses. We can get
the response.
Ms. Wilson. Thank you.
Chairman Kline. Ms. Bonamici?
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you very much, Chairman Kline and
Ranking Member Miller, for having this important hearing.
And thank you to the panel for your excellent testimony. I
have two questions, and in the interest of time, I will ask
them both together and then ask for your response.
First, thank you so much for your discussion about
prevention. It is so important. And I would like you to
perhaps, Mr. Bond and Mr. Pompei, talk briefly about that
barriers, other than resources, which we understand, and the
ratio that is too high, what are the barriers? Are there
student privacy barriers or other barriers to prevention?
My second question has to do with a different kind of
school safety and Mr. Ellis, you mentioned natural disasters as
a school safety issue. Oregon, my state, is due for a major
earthquake along the Cascadia fault and there are schools that
are along that coast there that are in the fault zone and will
likely result--there will be a tsunami there. And so we have
dangers of collapsing buildings and infrastructure and because
we are so close to the fault, we don't have very much response
time.
So we take this very seriously, and I wonder if anyone has
experience in planning for this type of natural disaster.
So first the barriers to mental health and then the
emergency preparedness aspect. Thank you.
Mr. Bond. I keep coming back to the same thing,
communication, but schools haven't adapted to modern
communication that kids use. In the old days, we could put a
box out and say drop a note in. Kids don't drop notes. We could
have hotlines. Kids don't use telephones.
We have to have mechanisms in place where kids can send
text messages with their concern, e-mail messages with their
concern, but setting the system up is easy part, but then we
have to have someone like a counselor that has time to monitor
those and follow up because if you ask kids to give you
information and you don't follow up on that information, you
will never get any information from that child again.
You have to follow up with the child's concern, and we
don't have those resources in place to follow up with those
children's concerns.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you.
Mr. Pompei?
Mr. Pompei. And the number one barrier, I know that you
mentioned--other than school--the student to school counselor
ratio--that would be the number one barrier--but as far as
school climate as a whole and the well-being of the child as a
whole, I would say the number one--me speaking as a school
counselor--would be the lack of professional development that
is connected to what does research say, what are the research-
proven ways that create a safe, nurturing, inclusive, welcoming
school climate for all kids.
Very much the professional development is connected to
helping the students learn algebra, helping the students learn
English, helping teaching vocabulary, and it has completely
avoided the professional development on that topic even though
the research has the connection; when they feel safe and
connected, they are more likely to learn.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you.
And I see that my time has expired, so perhaps I can get
some response after the hearing on the record about the
preparing for natural disasters and that safety aspect.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Kline. Thank the gentlelady, her time is expired,
and we would appreciate response if you have--you are poised to
answer that question about natural response, we would like to
get that for the record.
I have held off my questions until the end here trying to
make sure that we got questions in before we went to vote, and
I am not going to ask a question now because it is I am sure a
lengthy answer, but I just want to make this observation.
Listening to the discussion here today, how many times your
responses, almost everybody, has talked about the need to have
a trusted adult and to have communications between the students
and those trusted adults and communications between students
and students.
And it seems to me that is an area where schools will be
well-advised to make sure that their staff beyond just the
counselors--and I very much appreciate that work--and beyond
just the officers in the school, but for there to be an
education training awareness program so that teachers and
administrators are seen as trusted adults and the students can
talk to them.
I was just struck by again and again as we went back and
forth how that theme continued to play out.
Let me yield to Mr. Miller for any closing remarks he might
have.
Mr. Miller. Mr. Chairman, again, thank you very much for
the hearing. I think you heard from our members how important
they thought this was.
And thank you again to the panel. I assume we will have
additional hearings on this. Thank you.
Chairman Kline. Thank the gentleman.
And again, I want to thank the witnesses. Truly an
excellent panel. Marvelous resource. Of course we picked you,
so I guess we get some credit here, but truly marvelous and
thank you very much for your testimony and your responsiveness.
And with that the committee stands adjourned.
[Additional submissions for the record from Mr. Miller
follow:]

Prepared Statement of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and
the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD)

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Council for
Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD), a division of CEC, are
pleased to offer testimony for the House Education and the Workforce
hearing, Protecting Students and Teachers: A Discussion on School
Safety.
The tragic events that took place in Newtown, Connecticut in
December, 2012 whereby 26 young students and educators were killed by
gunfire, must serve as motivation for significant changes at the
federal, state and local levels to address violence in our nation's
schools and communities. While this heartbreaking event continues to
capture the national spotlight, we know that, unfortunately, far too
many of our students experience violence on a regular basis in their
schools and neighborhoods. The country is looking to the Congress and
the Administration for leadership to address the issue of safety in our
schools and communities.
Members of CEC and CCBD serve on the frontline, working in schools
with children and youth with disabilities and other at-risk students as
special education teachers, behavioral specialists, school
administrators, or higher education faculty who are preparing the next
generation of educators. As a result, CEC/CCBD members are
professionally trained to understand the complexities of children and
youth with disabilities, including the 371,600 students\1\ with
diagnosed emotional and behavioral disorders. Through this work, it has
become clear that Congress should pursue the following policy
recommendations:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ ``Number of Students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part
B, by disability and state.'' U.S. Department of Education, Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act Data. Data Accountability Center, n.d.
Web. 26 Feb 2013. http://www.ideadata.org/arc--toc13.asp
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. School safety policy proposals should use an interdisciplinary
approach that reinforces a partnership between education, juvenile
justice, mental health, social welfare, and community engagement
systems;
2. School safety policy proposals should require implementation of
evidence based practices that address prevention and response while
ameliorating the stigma associated with mental illness;
3. School safety policy proposals should focus on the impact of
mental health challenges on students' social, educational, and
employment outcomes; and
4. School safety policy proposals should confront and remedy the
national shortage of special educators and specialized instructional
support personnel who are trained to address the complex needs of
students with mental health difficulties.
Below, we provide a rationale for the above recommendations.
First, it is vital that policy proposals--whether at the federal,
state, or local level--use an approach that reinforces
interdisciplinary partnerships between education, juvenile justice,
mental health, social welfare, an, including community engagement
systems. This approach is necessary because ``school violence is not a
single problem amenable to a simple solution but, rather, involves a
variety of problems and challenges.'' \2\ While it is tempting to
address single issues--such as installing metal detectors at entry
points in school buildings--research has demonstrated that it is
necessary to address school safety using a comprehensive, coordinated
approach.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Cornell, Dewey G., and Matthew J. Mayer. ``Why Do School Order
and Safety Matter?'' Educational Researcher. 39.1 (2010): 7-15. Print.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Second, in the wake of national tragedies, it has been common to
see implementation of policies which represent a knee-jerk response
rather than those rooted in evidence and research. It is critical that
we learn from past practices and look to research and evidence to
determine successful practices and policies. Similar to the adage, the
best offense is a good defense, we have learned through research and
practice about the importance of focusing on prevention. In response to
the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School, over100 national
organizations representing over 4 million professionals in education
and allied fields and over 100 prominent researchers and practitioners
supported a statement issued by the Interdisciplinary Group on
Preventing School and Community Violence, which stated, ``Preventing
violence and protecting students includes a variety of efforts
addressing physical safety, educational practices, and programs that
support the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students.'' \3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community
Violence. Call for More Effective Prevention of Violence. Dec. 19,
2012. Web. http://curry.virginia.edu/articles/sandyhookshooting.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A review of past initiatives must help inform us of how to move
forward today. Policies such as zero tolerance, which the American
Psychological Association found to be ineffective; profiling, for which
the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education revealed no
accurate or useful demographic or social profile of school
attackers;\4\ and other simplistic solutions, have not had their
intended effect.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Borum, Randy, Dewey G. Cornell, William Modzeleski, and Shane
Jimerson. ``What Can Be Done About School Shootings? A Review of the
Evidence.'' Educational Researcher. 39.1 (2010): 27-37. Print.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instead, school safety policies should encourage strategies that
support prevention and are rooted in research, such as:
Fostering Communication: ``Comprehensive analyses by the
U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, and numerous researchers have concluded
that the most effective way to prevent many acts of violence targeted
at schools is by maintaining close communication and trust with
students and others in the community.'' \5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community
Violence. Call for More Effective Prevention of Violence. Dec. 19,
2012. Web. http://curry.virginia.edu/articles/sandyhookshooting.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Practically, this means policies must (1) support professional
development and training for school staff--including teachers,
specialized instructional support personnel, and administrators--
regarding effective communication strategies and initiatives; (2)
employ a cadre of staff who are professionally trained to address the
mental health needs of students; and (3) support changes to teacher
preparation programs which reinforce the importance of communication.
Supporting a Positive School Climate and Connectedness:
School climate, which impacts school safety, teaching and learning,
interpersonal relationships, and institutional environment, according
to researchers cited by the U.S. Department of Education, plays an
integral role into the academic and social development of students.
Research has demonstrated that a positive school climate helps create a
culture of respect, understanding, and caring among educators and
students where members of the school community feel physically and
emotionally safe and secure, and facilitates an environment conducive
to learning.
Practically, this means: (1) embracing whole school reforms that
reinforce the important role of having a positive school climate, such
as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports; (2) supporting this
shift in mindset with the tools and resources needed to foster its
implementation, such as professional development and training, and (3)
data collection and analysis tools to help schools study and respond to
local school climate information.
Addressing Needs of Marginalized Students: ``Research
indicates that those students most at risk for delinquency and violence
are often those who are most alienated from the school community.
Schools need to reach out to build positive connections to marginalized
students, showing concern and fostering avenues for meaningful
involvement.''
Practically, this means: We need to confront and address the
persistent national shortage of special educators who are trained to
address the complex needs of students with behavioral disorders and the
shortage of specialized instructional support personnel such as school
counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists who are
underutilized and underemployed in schools. In 2011, the U.S.
Department of Education reported a shortage of special educators in
every state, continuing a decades-long trend.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ United States. Department of Education Office of Post Secondary
Education. Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing: 1990-1991 through
2012-2013. 2012. Web.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Increasing school based mental health services: School
based mental health services for purposes of screening, providing
direct services, engaging and supporting families, and serving as a
connection to community based supports, are critical to providing the
prevention, response, and treatment that are so vital to students'
well-being. We must confront the stigma associated with mental health
problems through multiple avenues, including making it an integral part
of our educational system.
Practically, this means: Addressing the national shortage of
special educators and specialized instructional support personnel by
reducing the ratios of students to school counselors to 250:1, school
social workers to 250:1, school psychologists 1,000:1, school nurses
(750:1) and often increasing the number of other professionals who are
specifically trained to address the mental health needs of students. In
many schools, these professionals carry a caseload that far exceeds the
recommended ratios above and far too often, no school-based mental
health and student service providers are available to assist students
in times of crisis, or at any other time.
In closing, CEC/CCBD stands ready to work with members of Congress
to promote policies and meaningful actions not only to address violence
in our nation's schools and communities but to create solutions that
are rooted in safety, prevention, and an interdisciplinary approach.
______

Prepared Statement of the NAACP Legal Defense and
Educational Fund, Inc.

I. Introduction
The horrific killing of 26 children and adults last December at
Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut shook our nation
to its core. We continue to grieve with the families of those lost in
the senseless act of violence, as well as those in Newtown who face
continual reminders of the loss of their friends and neighbors. We
thank Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Miller, and Members of the
Committee for convening a hearing to discuss this very important issue.
It is intuitive that safe schools are essential to student
learning. If students are not safe or feel threatened, they cannot
learn. Experience and research show us that the right policies and
practices implemented to achieve school safety can have powerful
effects that transcend preventing danger in schools. Indeed, such
measures can also lead to increased academic performance, higher
graduation rates, and lower rates of disciplinary infractions.
Conversely, some well-intended but ill-conceived practices implemented
in the name of safety can lead to lower academic performance, dropping
out of school, and higher rates of involvement with the juvenile and
criminal justice systems, especially for students of color. Both the
impressive potential of well-founded school safety practices and the
damaging effects of misguided approaches make this issue central to any
discussion regarding educational opportunity.
The tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School have reminded
us that even public schools, some of our nation's safest places, can
experience unspeakable violence. Since Sandy Hook, several proposals
aimed at improving the safety of schools by increasing the number of
security personnel have come forth. The National Rifle Association
(NRA) suggested that every school in America should have an armed
police officer.\1\ Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has
placed 500 armed, uniformed volunteers outside the schools in his
county.\2\ And close to Washington D.C., Prince George's County,
Maryland, has proposed creating a new police force for schools.\3\
Likewise, Montgomery County, Maryland aims to double the number of
School Resource Officers for schools within the county.\4\
Although we all seek to ensure the safety of all schoolchildren,
proposals such as those described above ignore the lessons from
previous tragedies about what works to prevent school violence. We urge
the Committee to help our nation learn from such tragedies in crafting
legislative solutions to this one.

II. ``Zero-Tolerance'' Policies and School Police Have Not Meaningfully
Improved School Safety
Following tragic shootings like that at Columbine High School in
Littleton, Colorado, many states and school districts have adopted and
implemented ``get tough'' approaches to monitoring school environments,
such as zero-tolerance policies.\5\ Many also dramatically expanded the
use of security equipment, such as metal detectors and surveillance
cameras, as well as deploying additional police in schools.\6\ While
well-intended, history and experience have shown that these approaches
to school safety fail to address the actual issues that negatively
impact students and school safety.\7\
Designed to address only the most serious school-based incidents,
both zero-tolerance disciplinary policies and police presence in
schools are far too often applied to routine instances of student
misbehavior. While there is no indication that student behavior has
worsened, school discipline rates are at their all-time highs, double
what they were in the 1970s.\8\ The Department of Education's most
recent Civil Rights Data Collection shows that, in the 2009-2010 school
year, over 3,000,000 students were suspended.\9\ Meanwhile, students
who attend schools with embedded law enforcement personnel are
frequently confronted with citations, summonses, and even arrested for
non-criminal behavior.\10\ At a statewide level, the effect is
alarming: for example, in Florida, almost 17,000 students per year in
the 2010-2011 school year, that is, 45 per day, were referred to
juvenile courts by school-based law enforcement.\11\ The overwhelming
majority of these referrals were for misdemeanors, such as disruption
of a school function or disorderly conduct.\12\
Students of color, African Americans in particular, suffer
disproportionately from these approaches. The Department of Education's
Civil Rights Data Collection indicates that ``across all districts,
African-American students are over 3\1/2\ times more likely to be
suspended or expelled than their white peers.'' \13\ State-level data
suggests similarly stark racial disparities in students' contact with
police. For example, African-American students were three and half
times more likely to be arrested in school than White students in
Delaware in 2010-2011.\14\ That same year, African Americans comprised
only 21% of Florida school enrollment, but accounted for 46% of all
school-related referrals to law enforcement.\15\
A wealth of research indicates that reliance on police and
exclusionary discipline are ineffective at making schools safer. The
American Psychological Association has found that there is no evidence
to support the suggestion that using suspension, expulsion, or zero-
tolerance policies results in increases in school safety or
improvements in student behavior.\16\ In fact, exclusionary discipline
practices have negative effects on student academic performance:
students who are suspended and/or expelled, especially those who are
repeatedly disciplined, are far more likely to be held back a grade,
drop out of school, or become involved in the juvenile or criminal
justice system than are students who do not face exclusionary
discipline.\17\ Moreover, students who are arrested are two times as
likely to drop out as their peers.\18\
The individuals experiencing arrest or exclusionary discipline are
not the only ones who are harmed by these practices. Indeed, research
shows that schools with high suspension rates score lower on state
accountability tests, even when adjusting for demographic
differences.\19\ And when schools involve police in disciplinary
measures, schools can alienate students and create distrust, thus
undermining order and safety.\20\
Involving courts and police in addressing school matters exacts a
high financial toll on the nation. The Texas Public Policy Foundation
has called for reforms to school-to-court referral practices because of
their high costs and low levels of effectiveness.\21\
Last December, during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing,
Acting Administrator for the Department of Justices' Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention Melodee Hanes testified to the high
cost and debilitating administrative burden placed on juvenile courts
and juvenile detention facilities created by the high number of school-
to-court referrals for school-based misconduct that is more
appropriately dealt with in the context of school discipline.\22\

III. School Violence Is Best Prevented by Building Trust between
Students and Educators
In the aftermath of the shootings at Columbine High School, the
U.S. Department of Education and the Secret Service explained that the
best way to prevent violence targeted at schools is to improve
connectedness and communication between students and educators.\23\ If
students feel they can trust an educator, they are far more likely to
share any tips on, or fears about, school safety as well as any
personal concerns about bullying, harassment, and discrimination.\24\
There are several proven approaches to improving a school's learning
environment that help build trust between students and teachers.
Notably, recent research suggests that involving police in school
discipline can breed student alienation and distrust, severing the
connectedness for which both ED and the Secret Service have called.\25\
School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) is an evidence-based
approach to school discipline shown to reduce disciplinary referrals,
support improvements in student attendance and academic achievement,
and improve teacher perceptions of school safety.\26\ Schools
implementing SWPBS define and teach school-wide expectations for
student conduct and acknowledge students' positive behavior.\27\ SWPBS
schools monitor trends in disciplinary data to guide school-wide
interventions. For example, a significant number of disciplinary
referrals originating in a hallway could spur a school to station more
teachers there during passing periods. Similarly, schools provide
targeted and individualized supports to students who receive more
disciplinary referrals than others. Such supports can be as simple as
regular check-ins with one educator and as intensive as wraparound
services for those students whose needs warrant them.
Over 16,000 U.S. public schools have received training in
SWPBS.\28\ When two Illinois middle schools merged to form Alton Middle
School in 2006, the school's disciplinary rates spiked significantly.
After implementing SWPBS and training teachers in addressing racial
bias, Alton became a far more orderly school and reduced its suspension
rate by 25% with the most significant drop of African-American
students.\29\
Restorative Justice is a promising approach to resolving conflicts
within a school community in ways that strengthen bonds among students
and between students and educators.\30\ To promote reconciliation and
mutual responsibility, schools implementing restorative justice engage
all members of the school community affected by a conflict in
addressing and resolving it. Denver Public Schools revised its
discipline code around the principles of restorative justice and has
cut its suspension rate in half, its expulsion rate by a third, and its
rate of referrals to law enforcement by ten percent since then.\31\
School Offense Protocols are being implemented in jurisdictions in
Georgia, Connecticut, and Kansas, among other states.\32\ Piloted in
Clayton County, Georgia, school offense protocols delineate between
matters of safety, to be handled by law enforcement, and matters of
discipline, to be handled by educators.\33\ After a 1248 percent
increase in court referrals from schools, 90% of which were for
misdemeanors, the Clayton County Juvenile Court convened
representatives from the school district, law enforcement, and mental
health and wellness providers.\34\ The resulting protocol has led to a
near 70 percent drop in court referrals from schools and a 24 percent
increase in graduation rates.\35\ Notably, the school district's
referral rates for weapons possession (mandatory referrals under state
law) dropped by over 60 percent since the protocol's
implementation.\36\

IV. Recommendations
1. Support best practices in school climate to improve trust and
help prevent school violence.
The Positive Behavior for Safe and Effective Schools Act (H.R.
3165, 112th Cong.) and the Restorative Justice in Schools Act (H.R.
415, 112th Cong.) would facilitate training in, and implementation of,
the best practices described above and would be essential additions to
a reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
2. Monitor school climate to provide assistance--not punishment--to
schools from local and state educational agencies.
School discipline and climate should serve as indicators of a
school's success or needs and should be monitored with attendance,
achievement, and graduation rates. Representative George Miller's
Amendment to the Student Success Act (H.R. 3989, 112th Cong.), which
would track school discipline rates as an indicator of school
improvement in persistently low-achieving schools, is a promising
example.
3. Support the development of comprehensive local or regional
strategies to improve student safety while reducing the number of youth
entering the justice system.
Congress should promote expanded educational opportunities for
youth by supporting community-based solutions such as those implemented
in Clayton County (described above). Funds should go toward the
development and implementation of multi-year, comprehensive local or
regional plans to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline and the
number of youth entering the juvenile and criminal justice systems. The
Youth PROMISE Act (H.R. 2721, 112th Cong.) would help support this
purpose.

ENDNOTES

\1\ Wayne LaPierre, Remarks at NRA Press Conference (Dec. 21, 2012)
(transcript available at http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/21/
us/nra-news-conference-transcript.html).
\2\ Nirvi Shah, Nations, Districts Step Up Safety, Education Week,
Jan. 23, 2013, at 1.
\3\ Donna St. George & Ovetta Wiggins, Schools Taking Serious Look
at Putting Armed Police in Schools after Massacre, Wash. Post, Feb. 7,
2013, at A1.
\4\ Id.
\5\ Russell Skiba et al., Are Zero Tolerance Policies Effective in
the Schools? A Report by the American Psychological Association Task
Force 23-25 (2006), available at http://www.apa.org/pubs/info/reports/
zero-tolerance-report.pdf.
\6\ Id.
\7\ See, Amanda Petteruti, Justice Policy Institute, Education
Under Arrest: the Case against Police in Schools (2011).
\8\ Johanna Wald and Daniel Losen, Defining and Redirecting a
School-to-Prison Pipeline. In Wald & Losen (Eds.), New Directions for
Youth Development (no. 99; Deconstructing the School-to-Prison
Pipeline) 9-15 (2003).
\9\ Daniel Losen and Jonathan Gillespie, Opportunities Suspended:
the Disparate Impact of Disciplinary Exclusion from School 6 (2012).
\10\ See, Amanda Petteruti, supra note 7.
\11\ Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Delinquency in
Florida's Schools: A Seven Year Study 3 (2011), available at http://
www.djj.state.fl.us/docs/research2/2010-11-delinquency-in-schools-
analysis.pdf?sfvrsn=0.
\12\ Id. at 8-9; ACLU of Florida, Advancement Project, & Florida
State Conference of the NAACP, Still Haven't Shut Down the School-to-
Prison Pipeline 6-8 (2011).
\13\ OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, CIVIL
RIGHTS DATA COLLECTION SUMMARY 2 (2012). http://ocrdata.ed.gov/
Downloads/CMOCRTheTransformedCRDCFINAL3-15-12Accessible-1.pdf. Despite
being only 18% of students in the Civil Rights Data Collection sample,
African-American students were 35% of students suspended once, 46% of
those suspended more than once, and 39% of students expelled.
Furthermore, the CRDC indicates that ``Over 70% of students involved in
school-related arrests or referred to law enforcement are Hispanic or
African-American.''
\14\ Chief Judge Chandlee Johnson Kuhn, Family Court of the State
of Delaware & Kerrin C. Wolf, Fightin' and Fussin': An Examination of
School Arrests, Adjudications, and Dispositions in Delaware
(presentation on file with the authors).
\15\ Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, supra note 11 at 3.
\16\ Skiba et al, supra note 5 at 71-79.
\17\ Tony Fabelo et al., Breaking Schools' Rules: A Statewide Study
of How School Discipline Relates to Students' Success and Juvenile
Justice Involvement x, 40-46, (2011).
\18\ Gary Sweeten, Who Will Graduate? Disruption of High School
Education by Arrest and Court Involvement 23 JUST. Q. 462 (2006).
\19\ Skiba et al, supra note 5 at 44-48.
\20\ Matthew J. Meyer & Peter E. Leone, A Structural Analysis of
School Violence and Disruption: Implications for Creating Safer
Schools, 22 Education and Treatment of Children 333, 352 (1999)
(finding highly-restrictive efforts to control students by involving
police in school disciplinary matters cause higher levels of school
disorder by diminishing students' belief in the legitimacy of school
staff authority); Randall R. Beger, The Worst of Both Worlds, 28 Crim.
Just. Rev. 336, 340 (2003) (finding that aggressive security measures
produce alienation and mistrust among students which, in turn, can
disrupt the learning environment and create an adversarial relationship
between school officials and students).
\21\ Right on Crime, Priority Issues: Juvenile Justice (2010), at
http://www.rightoncrime.com/priority-issues/juvenile-justice/.
\22\ Ending the School to Prison Pipeline: Hearing Before the
Subcomm. on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights of the S.
Comm. on the Judiciary, 112th Cong. 2-3 (statement of Melodee Hanes,
Acting Administrator for the Department of Justices' Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention).
\23\ U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education, The
Final Report and Findings of the Safe Schools Initiative: Implications
for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States (May 2002),
available at http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac/ssi--final--report.pdf.
\24\ Id.; Dewey G. Cornell et al. A Call for More Effective
Prevention of Violence (Dec. 19 2012), available at http://
curry.virginia.edu/articles/sandyhookshooting.
\25\ Mayer & Leone, supra note 28.
\26\ Robert H. Horner et al, A Randomized Wait-List Controlled
Effectiveness Trial Assessing School-Wide Positive Behavior Support in
Elementary Schools, 11 J. POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONS 133 (2009).
\27\ See generally, George Sugai & Brandi Simonsen, Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports: History, Defining Features, and
Misconceptions (2012), available at http://www.pbis.org/school/pbis--
revisited.aspx.
\28\ Id.
\29\ Matt Cregor, Emphasize the Positive and Personal, Education
Week, Jan. 10, 2013, at 40.
\30\ See generally, Sharon Lewis, International Institute for
Restorative Practices, Improving School Climate: Findings from Schools
Implementing Restorative Practices (2009).
\31\ Advancement Project. Test, Punish, and Push Out: How ``Zero
Tolerance'' and High-stakes Testing Funnel Youth into the School-to-
Prison Pipeline 35 (2010); Cregor, supra note 36.
\32\ Ending the School to Prison Pipeline: Hearing Before the
Subcomm. on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights of the S.
Comm. on the Judiciary, 112th Cong. 5-6 (statement of the Honorable
Steven C. Teske, Chief Judge, Juvenile Court of Clayton County, GA).
\33\ Id. at 3.
\34\ Judge Steven C. Teske & Judge J. Brian Huff, The Court's Role
in Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline, Juv. & Fam. Justice
Today, Winter 2011, at 16, available at http://www.ncjfcj.org/sites/
default/files/Today%20Winter%202011Feature%20%282%29.pdf.
\35\ Statement of the Honorable Steven C. Teske, supra note 39 at 3
& 4.
\36\ Steven C. Teske, A Study of Zero Tolerance Policies in
Schools: A Multi-Integrated Systems Approach to Improve Outcomes for
Adolescents, 24 J. of Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Learning 88, 93
(2011), available at http://www.ncjfcj.org/sites/default/files/
Zero%20Tolerance%20Policies%20in%20Schools%20%282%29.pdf.
______

Prepared Statement of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)

The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) would like to thank
Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Miller, and the members of the Committee
on Education and the Workforce, for focusing their attention on the
importance of ensuring that students are safe when they go to school.
The tragic events that took place in Newtown, Connecticut magnify the
importance of addressing this issue. Ensuring that schools are safe for
students to learn and for teachers to teach must be at the forefront of
any discussion. The expectation cannot be that children will develop
academic and social skills necessary for them to be successful adults,
if they do not feel safe at school. As recognized in the testimony of
Mr. Pompei and Mr. Osher, the emotional and social needs of students
must be addressed, if we expect students to learn academic subjects.
Negative school climates, bullying, restraint and seclusion, and other
practices, lead to students not feeling safe in school, and, as a
result, dropping out, being suspended or expelled. Students deserve
safe and supportive schools that implement evidence-based practices
that create positive school climates, and schools where students feel
safe.
NDRN is the national membership association for the Protection and
Advocacy (P&A) System, the nationwide network of congressionally-
mandated agencies that advocate on behalf of persons with disabilities
in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories
(American Samoa, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana
Islands), and there is a P&A affiliated with the Native American
Consortium which includes the Hopi, Navaho and Piute Nations in the
Four Corners region of the Southwest. NDRN and the P&As promote a
society where people with disabilities enjoy equality of opportunity
and are able to participate fully in community life by exercising
informed choice and self-determination. For over thirty years, the P&A
System has worked to protect the human and civil rights of individuals
with disabilities of any age and in any setting. Collectively, the P&A
agencies are the largest provider of legally-based advocacy services
for persons with disabilities in the United States. P&A agencies use
multiple strategies to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities
are protected including information and referral, monitoring,
investigations, and individual and systemic advocacy. In addition, P&A
agencies engage in training for stakeholders (e.g., parents, teachers,
administrators, state and local government officials, and advocates) on
a wide range of disability issues.
Although today's hearing focuses on the context of how to create
schools that are safe, as Mr. Bond recognizes in his testimony, it is
critical that safety in schools is addressed in the greater context of
safety in the community. In recent years, the media have reported on
both natural and man-made emergencies including but not limited to
shootings on college campuses, malls and movie theaters, in addition to
numerous natural disasters and other forms of violence within and
outside of schools. The work of the P&As and NDRN in the dual arenas of
emergency preparedness, response and recovery, and representation of
students with disabilities, makes the P&As and NDRN uniquely qualified
to provide a perspective on the topic of today's hearing.
Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery
Emergency preparedness, response and recovery have been a priority
for P&A agencies and NDRN for many years. This has included work by the
P&As and NDRN on the Katrina Aid for Today Project as well as memoranda
of understanding or agreement with the American Red Cross and Federal
Emergency Management Agency, developed to enhance collaboration during
disasters.
Making School Safe for All Students
With regard to the education of students with disabilities, the
P&As in many states use 20 percent or more of their budgets to work on
a range of issues impacting students with disabilities.
For example:
The Minnesota Disability Law Center (MDLC) advocated for a six-
year-old boy with Asperger Syndrome and a sensory processing disorder.
The student had experienced numerous issues in school and was being
frequently physically restrained or suspended. In one instance, he was
physically restrained when he refused to come out from his hiding place
under a table. The boy told his parents that a school staff person had
dropped him and hurt his arm. His parents were concerned for his
safety--that their son was not in the proper program or getting the
services he needed. MDLC staff reviewed his school records and
discovered that the boy was being restrained on a weekly basis and had
been suspended for more than 13 days for behavior due to his
disability. The school had not conducted a manifestation determination
review and had not provided the parents with proper notices about the
use of restraints. A manifestation determination review (MDR) is a
legal process intended to ensure that a student is not punished for
behavior related to his or her disability. With MDLC's assistance, a
proper functional behavior assessment (FBA) was conducted. An FBA
evaluates data to determine the reason behind a student's misbehavior.
The FBA results confirmed that the boy's placement was not an
appropriate placement. The boy was then placed in an autism-based
sensory program which was a better fit for him. MDLC assisted the
parents in filing a complaint with the Minnesota Department of
Education (MDE). As a result of this complaint, the school district was
found to be in violation for failing to conduct an FBA and for using
restraints without proper training and reporting. MDE found that the
boy had been denied a free and appropriate public education (a
violation of the special education law) and ordered compensatory
educational services for him. Following proper evaluations and an
appropriate placement, the boy now enjoys going to school and is making
great gains. He has not been suspended or restrained since, even in an
emergency.
Disability Rights New Jersey (DRNJ) intervened on behalf a 17 year-
old young man who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
and learning disabilities. The student's mother contacted DRNJ because
her son had been suspended from school for nine days for fighting with
another student. When he tried to return to the school following the
suspension, the school principal refused to allow him to return to
school and he was sent home.
The student went without any educational services for a couple of
weeks until the school district began providing him with homebound
instruction. A month after the suspension began; the district finally
conducted a MDR and found that the behavior in question was a
manifestation of his disability. As such, he could not be punished for
it with a suspension of longer than ten days. The Individualized
Education Program (IEP) team, the team that determines his school
program, agreed to send him to a different in-district school, but
failed to provide transportation so he was unable to attend.
DRNJ intervened with the district and had the district arrange
transportation so that he could return to school. DRNJ also filed a
complaint with the New Jersey Office of Special Education (OSE) seeking
compensatory services for the time that he missed from school and for
corrective action regarding the district's discipline procedure. OSE
investigated the matter and found that the district had violated the
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act's ( IDEA's) discipline
procedures by failing to conduct a manifestation determination review
before the 10th day of suspension and for failing to begin home
instruction by the 5th day of his suspension. OSE ordered that the
district conduct an in-service training for all administrators as well
as child study team members on discipline procedures for individuals
with disabilities. In addition, OSE ordered compensatory services for
the student.

School Resource Officers
The National Center on Education Statistics, defines a school
resource officer as a ``career law enforcement officer, with sworn
authority, deployed in community-oriented policing, and assigned by the
employing police department or agency to work in collaboration with
school and community-based organizations.'' School Resource Officers
(SROs) are often a partner in our current emergency preparedness
community. In order to ensure they are available to keep students safe,
it is critical that they are allowed to provide the service for which
they are trained.
Law enforcement should be used only to protect school safety--never
to implement garden variety school discipline. Discipline that does not
directly impact school safety is best left to educators who are trained
to address it. Students are more likely to confide safety concerns to
SROs if they are not also acting as assistant principals, and it would
be tragic if an SRO were unavailable to stop an armed assailant from
entering the school building because she was at the office with a
student caught doing something non-violent, like text messaging in
class.
As sworn police officers, SROs are typically accountable first to
the police department, and second to the school district. Schools and
police departments need clear, written agreements that specify what the
SRO's roles and duties will be. SROs need additional training beyond
the typical law enforcement training about student behavior. In the
same vein, we support the President's call for training teachers on the
behavioral needs of students in the context of the classroom, and
recognize its importance in improving school climate. School children
are not small adults. Recent advances in medical imaging have supported
what parents know--that young people actually think and reason
differently than adults do.
It is unfair to ask any school staff or SRO to manage student
behavior without providing the tools necessary to keep everyone safe.
There are school wide practices that have been proven to reduce school
conflict and are widely accepted in the education community. These
include ``Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports'' (PBIS) and
restorative justice practices. In addition to these, SROs should be
trained in, child and adolescent development, techniques for working
with youth with disabilities, including youth with mental health needs,
and de-escalating violent situations. Without this training, SROs
cannot effectively increase safety in our nation's schools.
Education and youth advocates oppose increasing the number of SROs.
Evidenced based practices like those above, protect students without
the negative impact on particular groups of children, as occurs
currently with SROs.
We have over fifteen years of experience to inform us on the
negative impact of increasing law enforcement in school, especially on
children of color and children with disabilities. A recent study by the
Justice Policy Institute[2] (JPI) found that increase in law
enforcement presence, especially in the form of SROs, coincided with
increases in referrals to the justice system for minor offenses like
disorderly conduct. According to the JPI, these referrals have a
lasting effect on youth, as arrests and referrals to the juvenile
justice system disrupt the educational process and can lead to
suspension, expulsion, or other alienation from school. It is well
documented that students with disabilities are more likely to drop-out
of school or be suspended or expelled when compared to their peers
without disabilities.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ ``Education Under Arrest: The Case Against Police In Schools''
J.P.I., November 2011, http://www.ceep.indiana.edu/projects/PDF/PB--
V4N10--Fall--2006--Diversity.pdf; http://www.dignityinschools.org/
sites/default/files/
DSC%20National%20Pushout%20Fact%20Sheet%2012.10.pdf; http://
www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=425
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NDRN firmly believes that additional SROs should not be placed in
schools that: 1) have no school based mental health professionals, or
2) have school-based mental health professionals in ratios far below
those recommended by their professional organizations, as documented by
Mr. Pompei in his testimony. Prevention, by meeting the needs of all
students before a crisis erupts, is the most critical part of any plan
to ensure school safety.
We can choose not to set youth on a track to drop out of school
that puts them at greater risk of becoming involved in the justice
system later on, all at tremendous costs for taxpayers, the youth and
their communities. One significant step is to ensure that SROs provide
a school safety rather than a school discipline function, their roles
are limited, clear and well defined, and they are specifically trained
to work with children and youth.
The examples above show only a sample of the range of work that
P&As engage in everyday to ensure students with disabilities are safe
at school. Again, thank you for holding this important hearing, NDRN
and the P&A System are eager to work with the Education and Workforce
Committee to ensure all students are feel safe when they enter school
each day.
______

[Additional submissions from Mr. Osher follow:]

------

[Questions submitted for the record and their responses
follow:]

U.S. Congress,
Washington, DC, March 22, 2013.
Mr. Bill Bond,
National Association of Secondary School Principals, 6165 Keaton Lane,
Paducah, KY 42001.
Dear Mr. Bond: Thank you for testifying at the February 27, 2013
hearing on ``Protecting Students and Teachers: A Discussion on School
Safety.'' I appreciate your participation.
Enclosed are additional questions submitted by members of the
committee after the hearing. Please provide written responses no later
than April 9, 2013 for inclusion in the final hearing record. Responses
should be sent to Mandy Schaumburg or Dan Shorts of the committee staff
who can be contacted at (202) 225-6558.
Thank you again for your important contribution to the work of the
committee.
Sincerely,
John Kline, Chairman,
Committee on Education and the Workforce.

REP. RUSH HOLT (D-NJ)

1. I have introduced legislation in the House, the Tyler Clementi
Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act (H.R. 482), that would require all
institutions of higher learning to clearly define their anti-harassment
policies, and distribute these policies to students. In your opinion,
what are the core characteristics of a ``non-violent'' school
atmosphere? In your experiences with the schools you have worked with,
are schools engaging in the process of defining what a safe and non-
violent atmosphere means, and, if so, are they sharing their definition
of a non-violent environment with the faculty, staff, students and
parents of the school community? What reasons can you identify that
would impede a school from engaging in this process?

REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL)

1. I think that in every tragic incident we hear of in our schools,
we always end up saying someone should have done something or someone
could have done something to prevent it.
There is not a one size fits all solution. I represent two schools
districts. One has a full police force; the other has just a few SROs.
That's the difference in the school districts, but I think that one
thing that should be available to all schools is enough counselors and
enough social workers and mentors for the children. That's all of them,
whether they have SROs or whatever else they have.
I don't think it's hard for counselors to detect who needs help.
The way that the funding is now for counselors, there are so few. As a
result, children who have problems relating to their parents, relating
to their peers, don't have anyone that they really trust in the
schools. The few counselors are always busy planning for college,
testing and other activities. So, the one thing that I think we need to
do is expand the pool of counselors, social workers and mentors.
Because a lot of times, it is a matter of miscommunication.
I have had the opportunity to talk to so many children who are
incarcerated. One person could help them through a bad day, anger,
bullying, mommy and daddy getting a divorce, mommy getting beat-up the
night before. I heard someone say that one school had a counselor for
every grade level. What a difference it would make for children in
schools. I would like to find out from the panel: how do you feel about
increasing the number of counselors?

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI (D-OR)

1. Many of my colleagues today have focused on school safety with
respect to violence in schools. In Oregon, schools are also focused on
creating emergency plans for natural disasters. Oregon is due for a
major earthquake along the Cascadia fault, which will likely result in
a massive tsunami. Along with the dangers of collapsing buildings and
infrastructure, many schools, like those in Seaside, Oregon, would lie
directly in the path of such an event. Because of Oregon's proximity to
the fault, response time once an earthquake is detected will be
limited. This is a situation that Oregonians take seriously, and
efforts to relocate and retrofit schools are underway.
Mr. Ellis mentioned that emergency planning focuses on three
categories of hazards, including natural disasters. This is a question
for all of the panelists: what kind of experience do you have creating
emergency plans for natural disasters? How is planning for a natural
disaster similar to and different from planning for something like a
school shooting? What are the special needs that must be met and the
challenges faced?
2. Teachers play a critical role in identifying students who need
to access mental health services. The current shortage of resources
such as school psychologists, counselors, and nurses is alarming.
Having someone in a school with expertise in these issues, especially
someone who can connect the dots between education, health
professionals, and home, is critical. In addition, Mr. Bond, you stated
that personnel are sometimes prevented ``from helping students and
families access appropriate mental health and well-being services.''
What are some of these barriers, especially in schools lacking
psychologists and counselors? Do issues of student privacy play into
this? Without professionals in schools, what resources do teachers and
faculty have for identifying students in need of help?
______

U.S. Congress,
Washington, DC, March 22, 2013.
Mr. Brett Bontrager,
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., 9998 Crosspoint Blvd., Suite #200,
Indianapolis, IN 46256.
Dear Mr. Bontrager: Thank you for testifying at the February 27,
2013 hearing on ``Protecting Students and Teachers: A Discussion on
School Safety.'' I appreciate your participation.
Enclosed are additional questions submitted by members of the
committee after the hearing. Please provide written responses no later
than April 9, 2013 for inclusion in the final hearing record. Responses
should be sent to Mandy Schaumburg or Dan Shorts of the committee staff
who can be contacted at (202) 225-6558.
Thank you again for your important contribution to the work of the
committee.
Sincerely,
John Kline, Chairman,
Committee on Education and the Workforce.

REP. RUSH HOLT (D-NJ)

REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL)

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI (D-OR)

U.S. Congress,
Washington, DC, March 22, 2013.
Mr. Mo Canady,
National Association of School Resource Officers, 2020 Valleydale Road,
Suite 207A, Hoover, AL 35244.
Dear Mr. Canady: Thank you for testifying at the February 27, 2013
hearing on ``Protecting Students and Teachers: A Discussion on School
Safety.'' I appreciate your participation.
Enclosed are additional questions submitted by members of the
committee after the hearing. Please provide written responses no later
than April 9, 2013 for inclusion in the final hearing record. Responses
should be sent to Mandy Schaumburg or Dan Shorts of the committee staff
who can be contacted at (202) 225-6558.
Thank you again for your important contribution to the work of the
committee.
Sincerely,
John Kline, Chairman,
Committee on Education and the Workforce.

REP. RICHARD HUDSON (R-NC)

1. My district in North Carolina is largely rural. What are some of
the distinct challenges a rural school could face? What are some of the
costs associated with implementing a safety plan in a rural school?
2. There are distinctly different challenges when looking at
security for urban and rural schools. What are some of the differences
that schools located in urban, suburban, and rural areas need to
address in their safety plans?
3. Do you have any figures that show the effectiveness of resource
officers?
4. How much does it cost local school districts to develop and
implement a school safety plan?
5. What resources are currently available for schools and school
districts to help improve their security plans?

REP. RUSH HOLT (D-NJ)

REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL)

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI (D-OR)

U.S. Congress,
Washington, DC, March 22, 2013.
Mr. Frederick Ellis,
Fairfax County Public Schools, 8115 Gatehouse Road, Suite 3674, Falls
Church, VA 22042.
Dear Mr. Ellis: Thank you for testifying at the February 27, 2013
hearing on ``Protecting Students and Teachers: A Discussion on School
Safety.'' I appreciate your participation.
Enclosed are additional questions submitted by members of the
committee after the hearing. Please provide written responses no later
than April 9, 2013 for inclusion in the final hearing record. Responses
should be sent to Mandy Schaumburg or Dan Shorts of the committee staff
who can be contacted at (202) 225-6558.
Thank you again for your important contribution to the work of the
committee.
Sincerely,
John Kline, Chairman,
Committee on Education and the Workforce.

REP. RUSH HOLT (D-NJ)

REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL)

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI (D-OR)

U.S. Congress,
Washington, DC, March 22, 2013.
Dr. David Osher,
American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20007.
Dear Dr. Osher: Thank you for testifying at the February 27, 2013
hearing on ``Protecting Students and Teachers: A Discussion on School
Safety.'' I appreciate your participation.
Enclosed are additional questions submitted by members of the
committee after the hearing. Please provide written responses no later
than April 9, 2013 for inclusion in the final hearing record. Responses
should be sent to Mandy Schaumburg or Dan Shorts of the committee staff
who can be contacted at (202) 225-6558.
Thank you again for your important contribution to the work of the
committee.
Sincerely,
John Kline, Chairman,
Committee on Education and the Workforce.

REP. RUSH HOLT (D-NJ)

REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL)

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI (D-OR)

U.S. Congress,
Washington, DC, March 22, 2013.
Mr. Vincent Pompei,
Val Verde Unified School District, 1440 Hotel Circle North, #442, San
Diego, CA 92108.
Dear Mr. Pompei: Thank you for testifying at the February 27, 2013
hearing on ``Protecting Students and Teachers: A Discussion on School
Safety.'' I appreciate your participation.
Enclosed are additional questions submitted by members of the
committee after the hearing. Please provide written responses no later
than April 9, 2013 for inclusion in the final hearing record. Responses
should be sent to Mandy Schaumburg or Dan Shorts of the committee staff
who can be contacted at (202) 225-6558.
Thank you again for your important contribution to the work of the
committee.
Sincerely,
John Kline, Chairman,
Committee on Education and the Workforce.

REP. RUSH HOLT (D-NJ)

1. I am cosponsor of legislation, the Student Support Act (H.R.
320), which would provide states with money to improve the ratio of
mental health providers (school counselors, psychologists, and guidance
counselors) to students in schools of each state. Mr. Pompei, in your
experience as a school counselor, what is the maximum number of
students a school counselor can be responsible for in order to do their
job effectively? Should this caseload responsibility be adjusted to
reflect the changing academic, emotional, and social development needs
of students at different grade levels?
2. I have introduced legislation in the House, the Tyler Clementi
Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act (H.R. 482), that would require all
institutions of higher learning to clearly define their anti-harassment
policies, and distribute these policies to students. In your opinion,
what are the core characteristics of a ``non-violent'' school
atmosphere? In your experiences with the schools you have worked with,
are schools engaging in the process of defining what a safe and non-
violent atmosphere means, and, if so, are they sharing their definition
of a non-violent environment with the faculty, staff, students and
parents of the school community? What reasons can you identify that
would impede a school from engaging in this process?

REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL)

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI (D-OR)

[Responses to questions submitted for the record follow:]

Mr. Bond's Response to Questions Submitted for the Record

REP. RUSH HOLT

1. In your opinion, what are the core characteristics of a ``non-
violent'' school atmosphere? In your experiences with the schools you
have worked with, are schools engaging in the process of defining what
a safe and non-violent atmosphere means, and, if so, are they sharing
their definition of a non-violent environment with the faculty, staff,
students and parents of the school community? What reasons can you
identify that would impede a school from engaging in this process?

Bond: The principal's first responsibility as a school leader is to
foster a safe, orderly, warm, and inviting environment where students
come to school ready and eager to learn. Schools should implement
policies, practices and structures to ensure that all students have a
relationship with a trusted adult in the school and to eliminate the
possibility of students remaining anonymous. The culture of the school
must support and be supported by attitudes, values, and behaviors that
promote high expectations and a belief that each student is capable of
achieving personal and academic success. Clear expectations regarding
student behaviors must be conveyed to students, staff members, and
parents. Fair and natural consequences, as opposed to punitive ones,
must be employed at all times.
As a member of the National Safe Schools Partnership, NASSP
believes that Congress should bolster federal programs to prevent
bullying and harassment in our nation's schools, which will have a
dramatic impact in improving school safety and, correspondingly,
student achievement for all students.
Specifically, the federal government must support education, health
care, civil rights, law enforcement, youth development, and other
organizations to ensure that:
Schools and districts have comprehensive and effective
student conduct policies that include clear prohibitions regarding
bullying and harassment;
Schools and districts focus on effective prevention
strategies and professional development designed to help school
personnel meaningfully address issues associated with bullying and
harassment; and
States and districts maintain and report data regarding
incidents of bullying and harassment to inform the development of
effective federal, state, and local policies that address these issues.

REP. FREDERICA WILSON

1. I would like to find out from the panel: how do you feel about
increasing the number of counselors?

Bond: Access to school-based mental health services and supports
directly improves students' physical and psychological safety, academic
performance, and social--emotional learning. This requires adequate
staffing levels in terms of school-employed mental health professionals
(school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and in
some cases, school nurses) to ensure that services are high quality,
effective, and appropriate to the school context. Having these
professionals as integrated members of the school staff empowers
principals to more efficiently and effectively deploy resources, ensure
coordination of services, evaluate their effectiveness, and adjust
supports to meet the dynamic needs of their student populations.
Improving access also allows for enhanced collaboration with community
providers to meet the more intense or clinical needs of students.
During the 111th Congress, NASSP supported the Increased Student
Achievement through Increased Student Support Act, which would have
created a pipeline program to train additional school counselors,
psychologists, and social workers and place them in high-need schools.
NASSP also supports the Mental Health in Schools Act (H.R. 628), which
requires in-service training for all school personnel in the techniques
and supports needed to identify children with, or at risk of, mental
illness and the use of referral mechanisms that effectively link such
children to appropriate treatment and intervention services in the
school and in the community.

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI

1. This is a question for all of the panelists: what kind of
experience do you have creating emergency plans for natural disasters?
How is planning for a natural disaster similar to and different from
planning for something like a school shooting? What are the special
needs that must be met and the challenges faced?

Bond: An emergency plan for a natural disaster is very similar to
any other crisis plan. The common denominators are the same. In any
crisis, you are dealing with the safety of students, staff and
communication with parents and the community. However, natural
disasters have the added dimension of the physical destruction of
infrastructure, such as facilities and communication.
In 2007, eight students were killed during a tornado in Enterprise,
Alabama which also destroyed the school. As with a school shooting, the
same process was employed to respond and work with students, parents
and the community to restore normalcy. While a natural disaster is more
complicated because not only have you lost lives, but the physical
infrastructure of the school is affected. This physical destruction
delays the recovery process but schools do return to their educational
mission quickly. A critical piece of recovery after any type of violent
or traumatic event at a school is immediate emergency assistance from
the Department of Education to assist students and the school
community's emotional well-being. Furthermore, in a natural disaster,
sustained federal funding for reconstruction from FEMA and other
agencies is necessary to restore the physical infrastructure affected
or destroyed.
NASSP is very supportive of the Project School Emergency Response
to Violence (SERV) program which allows schools to receive funding for
short and long-term counseling and other education related services to
help them recover from a violent or traumatic event in which the
learning environment has been disrupted.

2. Mr. Bond, you stated that [school] personnel are sometimes
prevented ``from helping students and families access appropriate
mental health and well-being services.'' What are some of these
barriers, especially in schools lacking psychologists and counselors?
Do issues of student privacy play into this? Without professionals in
schools, what resources do teachers and faculty have for identifying
students in need of help?

Bond: Principals--on behalf of their schools and communities--need
unfettered access to programs, supports and services when it comes to
responding to threats on the health and safety of students directly, as
well as prevention and intervention before a student's behavior
escalates to violence and threatens the safety of others. Principals
believe the federal government must do more to encourage local
education and community health system cooperation, and remove barriers
to effective service delivery. There is a strong national interest for
the federal government to set the standards so that all professionals
in schools, mental health and law enforcement can work together to
provide services for students and families, especially young children,
when the need is identified.
Student privacy issues keep schools from hearing important health
information that could help to better serve students within the school
environment. State and federal privacy laws prohibit various entities
from communicating with each other about a student's problems and keeps
everyone from being able to provide the services necessary to meet a
student's needs.
NASSP urges federal policymakers to remove barriers between
education and local health service agencies, and encourage local
communities to focus on schools as the ``hub'' for service delivery.
Local communities must be encouraged to break down the silos between
community health and education systems in the interest of school
safety. We believe that all partners and stakeholders in the success of
our education and community health systems must work together toward
the common goal of keeping our schools and communities safe.
Communities, states, and the nation generally have made only marginal
strides in creating and supporting an infrastructure that provides all
children and families with services that are connected to the school
communities. In many cases, principals are simply unable to get
students and families access to services that are needed even when the
appropriate programs exist in the community.
District-wide policies must support principals and school safety
teams to provide services in school-based settings and strengthen the
ability of schools to respond to student and family needs directly.
While working to improve school counselor-to-student ratios, districts
can begin to move toward more effective and sustainable services by:
Assigning a school psychologist, school counselor, or
school social worker to coordinate school-based services with those
provided by community providers;
Ensuring that the school data being collected and
resulting strategies are addressing the most urgent areas of need with
regard to safety and climate;
Providing training that targets the specific needs of
individual schools, their staffs, and their students; and
Reviewing current use of mental health staff and
identifying critical shifts in their responsibilities to bolster
prevention efforts.
______

Mr. Bontrager's Response to Questions Submitted for the Record

Chairman Kline, thank you again for the opportunity to testify at
the February 27th, 2013 hearing on ``Protecting Students and Teachers:
A Discussion on School Safety.'' I have included an answer below to the
question put forth by Representative Suzanne Bonamici regarding
preparations for natural disasters: The other questions included in the
follow up document fell outside of my scope of expertise.

Question: ``What kind of experience do you have creating emergency
plans for natural disasters? How is planning for a natural disaster
similar to and different from planning for something like a school
shooting? What are the specific needs that must be met and the
challenges faced?''

Answer: In today's environment we are typically seeing All-Hazards
Emergency Response Plans. These plans provide the framework for
managing all natural hazards and human threats typically following the
National Incident Management System (NIMS). High consequence threats
like tornados and active shooter typically have their own sections
within the Emergency Response Plans. Although responses may differ for
specific events, the planning and preparedness process is the same. The
plans must be written; training and exercise must be conducted, the
plans must be updated on a regular basis and Emergency Responders must
be included in the process.
Planning for a natural disaster versus planning for a school
shooting:
Similarities: In any emergency having a thought out plan with an
attempt to anticipate possible scenarios and having practiced this plan
beforehand will aid in mitigating damage and facilitate response time,
to ultimately increase chances of a better outcome. Having an organized
and rehearsed response to any disaster or event often leads to better
results. Responders need access to communications, trained resources,
and appropriate equipment.
Differences: Responding to a natural disaster is different than a
shooter scenario in that in a disaster you are responding to an event
that has no conscientiousness. In a shooter scenario you are dealing
with a person or group that is actively intent on doing harm and at the
very least has some form of thought out plan on how to do this.
Regardless of how you respond to a natural disaster the disaster
remains unaware of your actions toward it. Responding to a shooter(s)
in the correct or incorrect way is more likely to alter the outcome of
the event.
Depending upon where you live, natural disasters can include
anything from a flood, tornado, hurricane, or a forest fire to an
earthquake or volcanic eruption. When planning for a natural disaster,
having a written, agreed upon and practiced plan in place is important
just like it is for any other emergency scenario. When it comes to
natural disasters building construction and facility layouts can play
an important role in keeping the occupants safe. For example, building
structures to withstand hurricane force winds and earthquakes or
locating electrical equipment and other infrastructure systems where
they are safe from flooding. Having systems in place for long-term
sustainability can also be important in the event of loss of power or
potable water in a natural disaster where the occupants may be isolated
from help and without utilities for hours or even days.
Please let me know if there is any other way my team and I can
assist. We thank you again for the opportunity to assist in this
important initiative.
______

Mr. Canady's Response to Questions Submitted for the Record

REP. RICHARD HUDSON

1. One of the challenges faced by rural districts is typically a
longer response time by first-responders. This can certainly increase
the need to have a first-response presence (SRO) on a school campus in
a rural environment. Many rural school districts are also smaller in
size which also means that they have a smaller staff. This means that
there are fewer members of the school safety team thereby increasing
the workload of the members.
2. Costs associated with implementing a school safety plan in a
rural environment would include the writing and printing of the plan
along with a site safety assessment of the campus. Costs would increase
with the implementation of strategies such as electronic visitor entry
systems, CPTED improvements and security personnel.
3. In general, most security practices for schools whether rural,
suburban or urban are similar in nature. However, there are certainly
issues like traffic flow that would be vastly different from an urban
to a rural environment. The issue of response has been addressed
previously but would certainly have a bearing on the security plan. For
instance, rural school districts may need to be prepared to remain in a
lockdown for a longer period of time than a suburban or urban district.
4. Much of the work done by an SRO is difficult to quantify.
Relationship building is at the foundation of their success. I would
refer you to our report; ``To Protect and Educate'' for our best
information regarding the work of SRO's. The report is available at
www.nasro.org.
5. The cost of the safety plan is really dependent on the size of
the district and the amount of resources that are put into the plan.
6. The National School Safety Center is an excellent resource for
information on school security plans. Their website is www.nssc1.org.

REP. RUSH HOLT

1. Creating a non-violent school atmosphere can certainly be a
challenge, especially when the violence is brought to the school campus
from outside. Clear-cut policies regarding issues of harassment can be
helpful but more must be done. A gentleman by the name of Teny Gross is
an excellent resource on this subject matter. He is the Executive
Director for the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence.
The website for his organization is www.nonviolenceinstitute.org.

REP. FREDERICA WILSON

1. I would agree with an increase in school counselors across the
country. As an SRO for 12 years, I worked very closely with the
counselors in our school district. They are also a critical component
of any effective school safety team.

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI

1. As far as my experience in planning for natural disasters, I
cannot say that this specifically falls within my realm of expertise.
However, I was asked to serve as one of the writers for my former
school districts school safety plan. During this process I certainly
learned a great deal more about planning for natural disasters.
2. Some of the similarities that I have seen in planning for
natural disasters as well as man--made disasters include things like
evacuation procedures, shelter-in-place procedures and re-unification
procedures. The major difference in the two is that in an act of
violence it becomes necessary to stop the violence from occurring
before anything else can be accomplished.
I hope that these answers to your questions are helpful. Please
feel free to contact our office if we can be of further assistance.
______

Mr. Ellis' Response to Questions Submitted for the Record

REP. RUSH HOLT (D-NJ)

The core characteristics of a non-violent school atmosphere is a
culture and environment that allows and encourages learning. All
members are treated with respect and dignity. In terms of sharing the
definition, I believe that the goals are shared with all stakeholders.
I cannot envision a reason that would impede a school from sharing such
a statement.

REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL)

I believe that the availability of mental health professionals is a
key component for maintaining a safe and secure learning environment.
I've pasted links to two documents of interest. Below the links is the
text from an article in the Washington Post (March 29, 2013) regarding
the current status of these professionals in the Fairfax County Public
Schools.

http://www.nasponline.org/communications/press-release/
School_Safety_Statement.pdf

http://curry.virginia.edu/articles/sandyhookshooting
Washington Post (March 29, 2013)

A multimillion-dollar budget crunch in Fairfax County schools next
year might force an unsustainable workload on the mental-health
clinicians who help students cope with stress, anxiety and emotional
crises, administrators said.
The December mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Conn.--and other recent high-profile attacks involving
shooters with mental illnesses--renewed public focus on mental health
and started a national conversation about the role of school
psychologists and social workers in students' lives. This year, several
bills were introduced in Congress addressing a shortage of mental-
health professionals in schools.
Fairfax County could face a similar shortage, school officials
said, if additional funding is not included in next year's budget to
hire more mental-health professionals.
``It's a challenge to meet all the needs of our kids,'' said Amy
Parmentier, coordinator of social-work services in Fairfax schools.
``Newtown has certainly tragically punctuated it. There's more to
educating children than just academics.''
This year, the ratio in Fairfax schools is one psychologist and one
social worker per 2,200 general-education students. Most high schools,
which average between 2,400 and 2,700 students, have only one school
psychologist and one social worker.
Fairfax staffing levels are far below national standards. The
National Association for School Psychologists recommends one school
psychologist per 500 students. The School Social Workers Association of
America recommends one social worker with a master's degree per 400
students.
The ratio in Fairfax worsened during the recession, when the school
system eliminated social worker and psychologist positions to save
money while student enrollment continued to balloon.
``I would never say we have enough'' mental-health professionals,
said Dede Bailer, who coordinates psychology services for the Fairfax
schools. ``It would be wonderful if we had additional staffing. But we
don't have the same number of positions that we had 10 years ago, and
since then our population has increased.''
Kim Dockery, assistant superintendent for special services, said
that social workers and psychologists can be the first line of defense
in schools, helping to do proactive screenings to address students'
issues before they are manifested in bigger problems. But since most
clinicians have such a high workload, they are often acting more like a
last resort, attending to students who are in crisis. Crucial
prevention work rarely happens, clinicians said.
Clinicians said they tackle a variety of issues, including
depression, anxiety, bullying, substance and alcohol abuse, family
deaths and parents' divorces. Often, the clinicians are the only people
students feel they can talk to openly about very personal concerns.
Nikki Simmons, the mother of an 18-year-old former Fairfax student,
credits the school system's clinicians with helping to save her
daughter's life. ``They really helped her get out of her bad times,''
said Simmons. ``It was hell and back.''
Simmons said that funding for more mental-health professionals is
crucial and described Fairfax's clinicians as among the best in the
region.
She said her daughter began having mood swings during her freshman
year. She started using drugs, drinking alcohol and cutting herself.
The girl had thoughts of suicide.
``You're talking about an honor roll student to D's and F's in a
matter of months,'' Simmons said.
As a sophomore at Woodson High, her daughter met with Fairfax
clinicians for about 30 minutes a day. Her dark moods began to lighten.
``She always had someone to go to whenever there was something
wrong,'' Simmons said.
Fairfax school psychologists said the county's increase in students
directly correlates with an increase in need for mental-health
services. In a 2011 survey, almost 30 percent of Fairfax students
reported feeling symptoms of depression, and 16 percent said they had
considered suicide during the previous year.
Dockery requested more funding for clinicians this year to make up
for the lost positions, hoping to add 25 positions to the budgeted
total of about 280, an increase of less than 10 percent. She was
denied.
Superintendent Jack D. Dale said the School Board had not made
mental health a priority during deliberations to craft the $2.5 billion
budget.
Facing a $60 million budget shortfall from the county, the school
system is under pressure from the Board of Supervisors to make more
cuts.
Enrollment is expected to grow again next year, and a proportional
number of social workers and school psychologists may not be hired
without an amendment to next year's budget.
In many cases, a clinician oversees hundreds of students at
multiple schools.
There are now eight psychologists who are each assigned to cover
three schools and 63 who cover two school sites each. Among social
workers, there are 18 who each have three schools and 49 who have two
schools.
Bailer said that assigning a clinician to multiple schools can lead
to gaps in coverage.
``Sometimes kids just come by, and if you're there and they need to
talk, that's when you can do your best intervention work,'' Bailer
said. ``But if you're in three schools and you're not physically there,
those conversations won't happen.''
Dena Neverdon is a Fairfax schools social worker assigned to three
schools: Vienna, McNair and Floris elementaries.
``Three schools is challenging,'' said Neverdon, who has worked for
Fairfax schools since 2003. ``In an ideal world, I would only work with
one school. If I was there every single day, I could do so much more.''
Mary Ann Panarelli, the system's director of intervention and
prevention services, said that more mental-health staffers are
desperately needed.
``We are facing increased challenges to continue to do as well as
we have,'' Panarelli said. ``We are meeting the needs, but at some
point, there is a breaking point.''

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI (D-OR)

Hazards are conditions or situations that have the potential for
causing harm to people, property, or the environment. Hazards can be
classified into three categories: natural, technological, and school
specific-hazards. An examination of the potential natural, and
technological hazards, and school specific-hazards formed the basis for
the planning assumptions upon which the Facility Crisis Management
Security Plan is developed.
Each school has special and unique characteristics that influence
the development of an individualized, comprehensive, multi-hazards
school crisis, emergency management, and medical response plan. The
school-based Crisis Management Team (CMT) should conduct hazard
vulnerability and risk assessments to determine the strengths and
weaknesses of their individual building and grounds; the school's
social, emotional, and cultural climate; community and staff resources;
and the unique concerns of individuals with disabilities and special
needs. There is no standard method for prioritizing school hazards. All
risk determinations are subjective and vary depending on the community
and factors unique to the school. However, one commonly used method is
to compare hazards based upon the likelihood of an event occurring and
the extent of damage and trauma the event could cause the school.
Assessment data must be routinely gathered and analyzed by the CMT and
update the Facility Crisis Management Security Plan as necessary.
A Hazard-Specific Appendix should include incident response
procedures to reduce loss of life and minimize damage and trauma that
cannot be prevented.
Natural Hazards
A locality, due to its geographical location, is vulnerable to a
wide array of hazards. To determine the natural hazards that present
the greatest threat, a locality should consult with their local Office
of Emergency Management. This office should have a quantitative and
qualitative methodology using historical and anecdotal data, community
input and professional judgment regarding expected hazard impacts to
rank and prioritize those natural hazards which pose the most
significant threat.
For Fairfax County, Virginia, we have identified the following six
(6) primary natural hazards as having the greatest impact on the school
community:
1. Tornadoes
2. Hurricanes and Tropical Storms
3. Severe Thunder Storms
4. Severe Winter Storms
5. Floods
6. Extreme Temperatures
While these primary hazards have their own characteristics,
effects, and dangers, they often occur in conjunction with other
weather and environment conditions that exacerbate the effects, i.e.,
lightning, high winds, hail, snow, sleet, freezing rain, and drought.
______

Dr. Osher's Response to Questions Submitted for the Record

REP. RUSH HOLT (D-NJ)

I have introduced legislation in the House, the Tyler Clementi
Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act (H.R. 482), that would require all
institutions of higher learning to clearly define their anti-harassment
policies, and distribute these policies to students. In your opinion,
what are the core characteristics of a ``non-violent'' school
atmosphere? In your experiences with the schools you have worked with,
are schools engaging in the process of defining what a safe and non-
violent atmosphere means, and, if so, are they sharing their definition
of a non-violent environment with the faculty, staff, students and
parents of the school community? What reasons can you identify that
would impede a school from engaging in this process?

Thank you Congressman Holt for the question and your efforts to end
harassment at all levels of learning. My own focus has been on safe and
supportive environments in primary and secondary schools. As a former
Dean of both a liberal arts college and two professional schools, I
believe that those in higher education can learn from the lessons and
experiences of educators in high school and grade school.
The science is clear. All students require safe and supportive
schools if they are to succeed. If schools want to maximize learning,
schools should create strong conditions for learning and well-being,
places where students feel physically and emotionally safe, connected
to and supported by their teachers, challenged and engaged in learning,
and places where their peers have good social and emotional skills.
This is as true for higher ed as it is for K-12.
A positive campus culture and climate at institutions of higher
education can maximize safety, engagement, and academic success and
minimize disengagement, academic failure, and attrition or unhealthy
and even such dangerous behaviors as binge drinking and interpersonal
violence. Schools can maximize the learning and retention of all
students they admit by creating cultures and conditions for learning
and student/staff support that promote academic engagement, embrace
diversity, and support mental and physical wellness.
When students feel physically and emotionally safe and connected to
their school, they can be better students. But when they feel anxious
or experience bullying, harassment, prejudice, or marginalization, they
won't perform to their potential. When students feel threatened, their
defensive responses impede learning and engagement, and this response
may be particularly pronounced for students who have experienced
trauma, whether as a child or as an adult.
Students benefit from educators who understand their social,
emotional, behavioral, and academic needs and from supportive schools.
Whether third graders or college freshmen, they learn more when they
feel connected and attached to their teachers or others in their
schools.
While research and practice support these conclusions, many schools
fail to address the need for student support and strong conditions for
learning. The primary impediments are a lack of will and, where will
isn't wanting, of educators' capacity to address the social and
emotional needs of students and to build strong conditions for
learning. The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human
Services have recognized this need by creating the National Center on
Safe and Supportive Learning Environments and focusing it broadly on
elementary, secondary, and higher education.

REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL)

I think that in every tragic incident we hear of in our schools, we
always end up saying someone should have done something or someone
could have done something to prevent it.
There is not a one size fits all solution. I represent two school
districts. One has a full police force; the other has just a few SROs.
That's the difference in the school districts, but I that that one
thing that should be available to all schools is enough counselors and
enough social workers and mentors for the children. That's all of them,
whether they have SROs or whatever else they have.
I don't think it's hard for counselors to detect who needs help.
The way that the funding is now for counselors, there are so few. As a
result, children who have problems relating to their parents, relating
to their peers, don't have anyone that they really trust in the
schools. The few counselors are always busy planning for college,
testing and other activities. So, the one thing that I think we need to
do is expand the pool of counselors, social workers and mentors.
Because a lot of times, it is a matter of miscommunication.
I have had the opportunity to talk to so many children who are
incarcerated. One person could help them through a bad day, anger,
bullying, mommy and daddy getting a divorce, mommy getting beat up the
night before. I heard someone say that one school had a counselor for
every grade level. What a difference it would make for children in
schools. I would like to find out from the panel: how do you feel about
increasing the number of counselors?

My short answer, Congresswoman, is yes, increasing the number of
counselors--as well as social workers and mentors--could have a
significantly positive impact. That said, we also need to make sure the
counselors are allowed to be counselors. Too often, they are asked to
take on administrative duties, or to serve as study period monitors, or
perform a host of other tasks unrelated to their mission.
I understand that as administrative workloads increase and school
district budgets get tight, the easy answer is to shift duties to
counselors. But that's a self-defeating path. Counselors and social
workers in particular can play a vital role in the development of
youth, as I've seen time and time again.
The connectedness and the experience of support that are so
important for students are exactly what counselors and social workers
can provide. Students who feel ``connected'' to a school are more
likely to have improved attitudes about learning and their teachers;
heightened academic aspirations, motivation, and achievement; and more
positive social attitudes, values, and behavior. Research also shows
that students who feel alienated from their school community are most
at risk for engaging in delinquency and violence. So, in my view,
counselors, social workers, and mentors are in the front lines in youth
development.
Yet, since counselors and social workers can't reach every student,
it's also important to build and support every teacher's capacity to
connect in positive ways with students. This part of the challenge is
not one of will--teachers want good relationships with students--but of
building teachers' technical and social and emotional skills and giving
them the support needed to connect with students. Doing this, in turn,
depends on refining our accountability systems to include the
conditions for learning.

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI (D-OR)

Many of my colleagues today have focused on school safety with
respect to violence in schools. In Oregon, schools are also focused on
creating emergency plans for natural disasters. Oregon is due for a
major earthquake along the Cascadia fault, which will likely result in
a massive tsunami. Along with the dangers of collapsing buildings and
infrastructure, many schools, like those in Seaside, Oregon, would lie
directly in the path of such an event. Because of Oregon's proximity to
the fault, response time once an earthquake is detected will be
limited. This is a situation that Oregonians take seriously, and
efforts to relocate are retrofit schools are underway.
Mr. Ellis mentioned that emergency planning focuses on three
categories of hazards, including natural disasters. This is a question
for all of the panelists: what kind of experience do you have creating
emergency plans for natural disasters? How is planning for a natural
disaster similar to and different from planning for something like a
school shooting? What are the special needs that must be met and the
challenges faced?

While I have written about this in Safeguarding Our Children: An
Action Guide Revised and Expanded and addressed them as a matter of
policy in my international work, I do not have firsthand experience in
this sphere so I'll largely defer to my colleagues on the panel.
However, let me point out, Congresswoman, that the kind of
potential dangers you are concerned about are some of those that must
be addressed to create a safe school environment. You mentioned that an
earthquake is on the minds of many Oregonians. If it is on the minds of
parents, it is on the minds of their children. So by developing a way
to respond to natural disasters, or any catastrophic event, we are
addressing the essential need for children to feel and be safe in their
schools. And doing this in a way that also builds conditions for
learning and student success reaches more students, avoids
fragmentation, and makes more efficient use of public and private
resources. For example, a positive climate, which can reduce or
eliminate some of the risk factors that feed aggression and violence,
can support crisis preparation and recovery while building and
supporting resiliency so students and adults can better survive and
cope with trauma and disaster.
In fact, some elements of school climate and conditions for
learning that are closely allied to the learning process, are
particularly able to help students handle and respond to crises. These
conditions include the perceptions and experience of physical and
emotional safety, connectedness and support, academic challenge and
support, and student social and emotional competence. Just as a lack of
safety can dampen hope, optimism, self-confidence, and affect a
student's threshold for vigilance and arousal, the opposite experience
of connectedness and support stemming from social and emotional
learning can build student and teacher relationships that support
social emotional and academic learning and equip students and adults to
respond to and recover from crises.
______

Mr. Pompei's Response to Questions Submitted for the Record

REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI (D-OR)

While I do not have personal experience creating emergency plans
for natural disasters, I understand the unique challenges they provide.
Additionally, I know well the challenges any emergency--man-made or
natural--can create in schools and among students. Schools and
districts must prepare for natural disasters like any other crisis.
Schools must develop emergency preparedness and crisis response
plans that help schools prevent, prepare for and respond to
emergencies. The plans should address a variety of emergencies that are
both predictable and unpredictable.
Similarities in planning:
Plans for all types of emergencies must include training
for school staff, pre-determined communication throughout an emergency,
and recovery procedures.
Schools and districts must form crisis response teams
which establish a chain of command well in advance of any incident. Who
is in charge? What are individuals' roles and responsibilities? Etc.
Schools must assess the types of crises and emergencies
their region is prone to. Threat assessments should be conducted not
only for human threats of violence, but for natural disasters. Plans
should assess whether natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods,
earthquakes, fires or tornadoes, are likely in a community.
Differences in planning:
Weather cannot be stopped but schools must always strive to prevent
other types of crises. For instance, reporting suspicious behavior of a
student may prevent or delay a violent incident and provide schools the
needed time to protect students and minimize damage.
Natural disasters can be anticipated (such as your example
of a school district residing on a fault line), often more so than
violent incidences of a human design. Unfortunately, there is often
little or no warning before earthquakes and other natural emergencies
occur.
School emergency plans must provide guidance for safe
locations during natural disaster, such as underground shelters for
schools prone to tornadoes or safe areas for students and faculty in
earthquake-prone areas.
Plans must take into consideration the correct responses
to natural disasters. For instance, should a school go into lockdown,
shelter-in-place, or evacuate?
There are a number of special needs that must be considered in
planning for natural disasters--and especially for the repercussions
after a disaster occurs. Natural disasters or manmade catastrophes such
as building explosions, bridge collapse, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes
and earthquakes can have serious psychological consequences similar to
those experienced during acts of violence.
Issues related to the destruction of homes, property,
heirlooms and livelihoods will compound the feelings of loss and
powerlessness in adults and children. These disasters often multiply
normal stressors at home (such as finances) and create new stressors
from problems caused by the disaster--homelessness, transportation
issues and lack of basic services.
When recovering from natural or manmade disasters, it's
important that families remain together as much as possible or
practical. Children will pick up feelings of anxiety from their
parents, so it's critical to talk about what is happening and how the
family will recover together. Additionally, children must return to a
normal routine as soon as possible.
Schools must consider the appropriate role they have to play in the
aftermath. As a school counselor, I understand how stressors at home
impact students' ability to function and perform at their best in
school.

RESOURCES:

The National Education Association's Health Information Network has a
Crisis Guide for schools planning for all types of emergencies.
http://crisisguide.neahin.org/crisisguide/images/
SchoolCrisisGuide.pdf
The American School Counselor Association's The Professional School
Counselor and Crisis/Critical Incident Response in the Schools.
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/files/PS_Crisis_Critical.pdf
The National Association for School Psychologists provides excellent
information for schools planning for natural disasters. http://
www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/
naturaldisaster_teams_ho.aspx

REP. RUSH HOLD (D-NJ)

1. I am a cosponsor of legislation, the Student Support Act (H.R.
320), which would provide states with money to improve the ratio of
mental health providers (school counselors, psychologists, and guidance
counselors) to students in schools of each state. Mr. Pompei, in your
experience as a school counselor, what is the maximum number of
students a school counselor can be responsible for in order to do their
job effectively? Should this caseload responsibility be adjusted to
reflect the changing academic, emotional, and social development needs
of students at different grade levels?

The National School Counselors Association recommends a ratio of no
more than 250 students to each counselor in grades K-12. This should be
the very maximum number of students any one counselor has under his or
her purview.
In California, where I am from, the ratio of school counselor to
student is 1:1,000. This leaves vital student prevention and
intervention services unaddressed, which is a disservice for students
and society as a whole. The maximum number of students for each school
counselor should never go above 250 as recommenced by the American
School Counselor Association. In addition, the professional school
counselor's responsibilities should include those services that
directly address the diverse needs of students. Unfortunately, many
administrators or districts require the professional school counselor
to do clerical work, data entry, student enrollment, test
administration and other items that do not support the uniquely
qualified skills and training school counselors possess. Our students
are entering society ill prepared and many with untreated and
undiagnosed mental health issues as a result. Increasing the number of
professional school counselors will make schools safer, decrease
student drop out, increase academic success and make society safer as
students will get these vital services during their adolescence.

RESOURCES

The American School Counselor Association's Guide to Appropriate and
Inappropriate Activities for the Professional School Counselor:
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/files/appropriate.pdf
The American School Counselor Association's Guide on the Role of the
Professional School Counselor: http://www.schoolcounselor.org/
files/RoleStatement.pdf

REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL)

1. I think that in every tragic incident we hear of in our schools,
we always end up saying someone should have done something or someone
could have something to prevent it.
There is not a one size fits all solution. I represent two school
districts. One has a full police force; the other has just a few SROs.
That's the difference in the school districts, but I think that one
thing that should be available to all schools is enough counselors and
enough social workers and mentors for the children. That's all of them,
whether they have SROs or whatever else they have.
I don't think it's hard for counselors to detect who needs help.
The way that the funding is now for counselors, there are so few. As a
result, children who have problems relating to their parents, relating
to their peers, don't have anyone that they really trust in the
schools. The few counselors are always busy planning for college,
testing and other activities. So, the one thing that I think we need to
do is expand the pool of counselors, social workers and mentors.
Because a lot of times, it is a matter of miscommunication.
I have had the opportunity to talk to so many children who are
incarcerated. One person could help them through a bad day, anger,
bullying, mommy and daddy getting a divorce, mommy getting beat-up the
night before. I heard someone say that one school had a counselor for
every grade level. What a difference it would make for children in
schools. I would like to find out from the panel: how do you feel about
increasing the number of counselors?

Professional school counselors are certified/licensed educators
with the minimum of a master's degree in school counseling and are
uniquely qualified? to address the developmental needs of all students
through a comprehensive school counseling program addressing the
academic, career and personal/social development of all students. The
American School Counselor Association recommends a school counselor to
student ratio of no more than 1:250. In California, where I am from,
the school counselor to student ratio is over 1:1,000 leaving us unable
to appropriately and effectively service the needs of students. In
fact, many students who are in need go completely un-serviced with
these large caseloads. Professional school counselors are the trusted
adults on campus where students know they can confidentially share
their struggles, concerns and challenges. This allows for early
intervention and prevention services that otherwise go unaddressed.
With these enormous caseloads, it is not only a disservice for our
students but society as a whole. These young people go out into society
ill prepared and many with untreated and undiagnosed mental health
issues as a result. Increasing the number of professional school
counselors will make schools safer, decrease student drop out, increase
academic success and make society safer as students will get these
vital services during their adolescence.

RESOURCES

Here is the American School Counselor Associations Guide to Appropriate
and Inappropriate Activities for a Professional School
Counselor: http://www.schoolcounselor.org/files/appropriate.pdf
Here is the American School Counselor Association's Guide on the Role
of the Professional School Counselor: http://
www.schoolcounselor.org/files/RoleStatement.pdf
______

[Whereupon, at 2:16 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]