[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 148 (Wednesday, November 30, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: November 30, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
        TRIBUTE TO CITIZENSHIP AND LAW RELATED EDUCATION CENTER

                                 ______


                         HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 29, 1994

  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Citizenship & 
Law Related Education Center for its presentation of the second annual 
Business-Government-School based Partnerships: Mechanism for Change 
conference in Sacramento.
  This year's conference, ``Safe Schools, Safe Communities, Make It 
Happen!'' will address not only the mechanics of effective partnerships 
but the unfortunate climate of violence and fear that has spread 
through our Nation's public schools.
  Today, public schools are the scene of some 3 million crimes per 
year. In urban and rural communities alike, the news of a fatal 
stabbing or shooting at a public school no longer astonishes or 
surprises us.
  In the richest and poorest districts in the country, students walk 
their campuses literally fearing for their lives. In larger cities, 
some schools have begun to add drive-by-shooting drills to their safety 
plans and many others have resorted to outlawing baggy clothing and 
overcoats, ripping out student lockers and installing metal detectors 
to deter guns, knives and other lethal weapons from entering school 
grounds.
  The resulting climate is eroding the very mission of our schools, 
prompting Secretary of Education Richard Riley to lament that violence 
``has turned many of our classrooms into war zones.''
  Whether we believe the cause of this disturbing trend to be extreme 
poverty, lack of supervision or the media's glamorization of violence, 
the solution to juvenile crime and violence lies in a solid partnership 
between everyone involved--government, schools and communities.
  Linking the resources of business, government and education presents 
one of the most powerful opportunities for rescuing today's youth and 
restoring safety to our schools and communities.
  This conference is a model business-education-government symposium 
for the 13 counties which comprise the Sacramento region. I applaud the 
outstanding job the CLRE Center has done in recruiting effective 
partners and fostering successful partnerships.
  This year's conference boasts a menu of dynamic workshops covering 
issues relative to new as well as ongoing partnerships, and will 
provide the tools necessary for partners to begin to restore safety to 
their schools and communities.
  Additionally, the conference, in cooperation with Sacramento's the 
Business Journal, will conduct the first annual Business-School 
Partnership awards ceremony. These awards will be presented during the 
luncheon portion of the conference, recognizing businesses and schools 
who are working together to improve student success in school and 
preparation for responsible and productive citizenry.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
important work being done in Sacramento with regard to building such 
successful partnerships between businesses, government and schools. I 
salute each of the conference participants for recognizing that if we 
are to truly prepare our children for tomorrow, we must collectively 
meet this challenge.

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