[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 14, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SCHOOLYARD SAFETY ACT

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                           HON. JENNIFER DUNN

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 14, 2001

  Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, we continue to see tragic examples that 
reinforce the need for immediate action to stop the violence in our 
nation's schools. Today I am reintroducing, along with my colleagues 
Peter Defazio and Zach Wamp, the Schoolyard Safety Act. This 
legislation is aimed at keeping America's youth safe in their schools 
by establishing an incentive program for States to create a 24-hour 
holding period for students who bring guns to school.
  The tragic May 1998 schoolyard shooting in Springfield, Oregon best 
illustrates the need for this bill's incentive program for States to 
impose a 24-hour holding period. As you may recall, a student showed up 
at school with a gun. He was immediately expelled and sent home. He was 
not, however, held to undergo psychological evaluation, nor was he 
placed in juvenile detention for further questioning. The next day, the 
student returned to his high school with a gun and used it to kill two 
classmates, and later, his parents.
  Several hundred times a year, young people bring guns to school, and 
disciplinary action is taken. But we know that simply expelling a child 
does nothing to protect innocent students, communities, or the troubled 
youth himself. When a student brings a gun into the classroom, concrete 
steps must be taken immediately to deal with the problem. A 24-hour 
holding period would put the student into a secure environment where he 
can receive the attention he needs. This will not only protect the 
safety of other students and the public, but will ensure that the 
student carrying the gun receives proper counseling.
  The Schoolyard Safety Act gives States access to Federal Incentive 
Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs if they seek to create 
a 24-hour holding period. It does not mandate another burdensome 
Federal program; rather, it gives States greater flexibility to use 
their Federal dollars how they see fit. We believe local officials and 
educators know best how to solve the problem of youth violence.
  School shootings show us how easily gun violence can break the heart 
of a community. Every man, woman, and child across America have the 
right to expect to live on a safe street and send their kids to a safe 
school. Children who learn in fear are learning the wrong lessons and 
we have a responsibility to do whatever we can to prevent future 
tragedies.

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