[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 133 (Thursday, November 18, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMENDING THE PALM BEACH COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR ITS DESIGNATION AS 
    ONE OF THE TOP THREE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 2004

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the 
Palm Beach County School District for achieving a rating of ``Best'' in 
the report released by the America Prepared Campaign on Preparedness in 
America's Schools. In the twenty school districts rated on their 
emergency preparedness regarding terrorism, Palm Beach County scored in 
third place.
  The America Prepared Campaign is a non-profit, non-partisan 
initiative that uses the expertise of national leaders on a range of 
matters to give citizens the tools and information they need to prepare 
themselves and their families for a large-scale disaster, particularly 
a terrorism event.
  In their report entitled ``Preparedness in America's Schools: A 
Comprehensive Look at Terrorism Preparedness in America's Twenty 
Largest School Districts,'' the foundation examined how well these 
school districts are prepared to protect their students in the event of 
a terrorist attack or other major emergency.
  With 193 schools and more than 160,000 students, the School District 
of Palm Beach County was lauded for its ``long history of robust school 
security and safety efforts.'' School District Police Department Chief 
James Kelly was singled out for his focus on implementing effective and 
efficient security methods, such as identification badges for school 
personnel, including students, a GPS tracking system for county school 
buses, and the introduction of violence-intervention programs.
  This report also cited the School District's outstanding use of 
communication, employing the use of the existing local notification 
system rather than a brand-new, expensive phone tree. This method 
ensures that parents and local officials have up-to-date emergency 
information.
  While the School District has every right to feel proud of their 
accomplishment, officials know that there is still plenty of work to be 
done. The school district has, for example, applied for a grant to 
print an emergency preparedness pamphlet in four languages to be 
distributed to every home. Not only would families with children in 
public school receive this pamphlet, but so would families with 
students in private and charter schools.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the Palm Beach County School District for its 
efforts to prepare students, faculty, parents, and community members 
for emergency situations.

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