[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 111 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9961-S9962]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        SAFE SCHOOLS ACT OF 1999

  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I rise to speak on what I think is the 
most critical as well as the most worthy of issues that we should be 
dealing with in the Senate and the Congress; that is, the emotional 
well-being of our children. They are truly the fabric of the success of 
our Nation into the next century.
  All too often we have been through incidents such as Jonesboro, AK, 
as well as Littleton, CO. We like to talk about them and discuss these 
issues and the crises that are going on in our children's minds and in 
their souls. But all too often we talk about it, and we seem to forget 
it. We don't do what we really need to be doing on behalf of our 
children in this country.
  Mr. President, the Safe Schools Act of 1999 will provide resources to 
public schools so they can remain safe and strong cornerstones of our 
communities.
  As we move into the 21st century, we must adapt our approach to 
education to meet the changing needs of students, teachers and parents 
in these communities.
  Although I am one of the youngest Members of the Senate, I grew up in 
Helena, Arkansas during what seemed to be a much simpler time--even 
though we were in the height of de-segregation in the South.
  Our parents pulled together to make everyone's education experience a 
success. Students came to school prepared to learn. Teachers had 
control of their classroom. The threat of school violence was virtually 
non-existent.
  Now, more than twenty years later, things are different.
  Our children are subjected to unprecedented social stresses including 
divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, child abuse, poverty and an explosion 
of technology that has good and bad uses.
  These stresses exhibit themselves in the behavior of teenagers, as 
well as in our young children. Increasingly, elementary school children 
exhibit symptoms of substance abuse, academic underachievement, 
disruptive behavior, and even suicide.
  Too many students bring guns and weapons to school.
  This is a very complex problem and there is no one single answer. It 
will take more than metal detectors and surveillance cameras to prevent 
the tragedies occurring in our schools today. But we must do something. 
We cannot wait any longer. We have to address this issue now.
  I believe the Safe Schools Act reflects the needs and wishes of 
students, parents, teachers and school administrators. It is the first 
step toward addressing the emotional well-being of our young people.
  During my Senate campaign last year, I spent a lot of time listening 
to parents and teachers. From my experience, a lot of the most 
effective solutions being at the local level.
  This bill incorporates the lessons I have learned from the people of 
my state who are working on the front lines to educate and care for our 
children.
  First, this bill would provide funds to elementary and secondary 
schools to hire additional mental health professionals.
  Students today bring more to school than backpacks and lunchboxes. 
Many of them bring severe emotional troubles.
  It is critical that schools be able to help these students and help 
teachers deal with them. We can possibly prevent a horrific act of 
violence, and if a disruptive student receives help, his or her teacher 
will have more control of the classroom in order to instruct all of the 
children there to learn.
  Unfortunately, there are not nearly enough mental health 
professionals working in our nation's schools today.
  The American School Health Association recommends that the student-
to-counselor ratio be 250:1. In secondary schools, the current ratio is 
513:1. In elementary schools, where the student-to-teacher ratio 
exceeds 1000:1.
  This is just not acceptable for a country as advanced as ours to not 
be providing the needs of our children.
  The second major component of my Safe Schools Act provides funding 
for after-school and mentoring programs.
  Many of our children go home to empty houses or spend hours every day 
in poorly supervised settings. Studies show that youth crime peaks 
between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m.
  Local public schools need additional resources so they can establish 
or expand after school and summer programs for children.
  This is a wonderful chance for the community to get involved. Many 
non-profit organizations can bring their resources to children in the 
schools and to the community.
  A variety of organizations can come together to build strong after 
school and summer programs which enhance the academic work of students 
and provide them with other meaningful activities.
  Many communities in Arkansas are doing just that.
  The city of Fort Smith has begun the SPICE Program, which has been 
working for nine years with adult tutors who help kids after-school 
with homework, and teach them arts and crafts which keep them out of 
trouble.
  In Little Rock, the Camp Aldersgate Youth Initiative encourages 
teenagers to participate in supervised community service activities, 
such as tutoring, recreation and conflict management;
  The Safe Jonesboro Mentoring Program in Jonesboro, Arkansas, brings 
adults from the local business community to Jonesboro High School once 
a week to mentor high school student.
  And these programs are not just being put into place in our larger 
towns, they're also cropping up in rural communities.
  In Monticello and six counties throughout Southeast Arkansas, the 
Southeast Arkansas Foster Grandparents Program has helped improve 
literacy and reading test scores for hundreds of children. In this 
program, senior citizens serve as literacy and reading tours to K-3 
elementary school students twenty hours a week.
  The Boys, Girls and Adults Community Development Center in Marvell, a 
Save the Children grantee, has been providing educational, cultural and 
recreational activities, as well as mentoring for children after 
school. 60% of the children participating in this program have improved 
their grade point average. It works.
  Studies show that one-on-one attention raises the academic scores of 
children and improves their self-esteem. With just a little extra help, 
a child who is struggling with reading or math can catch up with the 
help of volunteers or mentors and excel.
  We can utilize organizations like AmeriCorps and our older volunteers 
in the Senior Corps program. Encourage high school students to mentor 
elementary school students who need a little extra attention, to see an 
older peer being a part of their life makes a difference.
  The bottom line is we don't need to reinvent the wheel. Good examples 
already exist in our communities, initiatives like the ones I've 
mentioned today. By providing added resources to the states, we can 
emphasize the successful programs and make them available to more 
students.
  I'm also asking states to inform parents about the quality of public 
schools by issuing a Safe Schools Report Card. My own state of Arkansas 
will begin releasing a more comprehensive report card next year.
  All states should collect this information and make it readily 
available to parents and the community. This information will help 
parents and schools officials better address the most important issues 
at the local level.
  Above all, we must continue to share information and ideas, to talk 
to one another. Our country cannot possibly meet the challenges of the 
21st century if each community operates in a vacuum and there is no 
mechanism to pass on what is working and what isn't.
  During the August recess I will hold five ``Back to School'' meetings 
with students, parents, teachers, school administrators and concerned 
citizens.
  These meetings will be a good chance to discuss the various 
components of my Safe Schools Act as well as other important education 
issues like school construction, class size, school discipline and 
parent involvement.
  I welcome the chance to listen to those who care deeply about our 
public

[[Page S9962]]

schools and I hope my colleagues will spend some of their time during 
the recess to do the same.
  I also hope my colleagues will take the opportunity to review the 
components of this bill. I feel strongly it should be a critical part 
of any federal response to school safety issues. I look forward to its 
passage.
  This is our opportunity to begin the process that will show our 
children we do care about their emotional well being and the future 
success of our nation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition?
  The Senator from Wyoming.

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