[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 126 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1700-E1701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     STUDENT AND TEACHER SAFETY ACT

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                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 1, 2007

  Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Student and 
Teacher Safety Act. As a former teacher, I understand that when you 
enter the classroom you develop a sense of feeling safe and protected 
from the violence of the outside world. The classroom is meant to be a 
place where our children's minds can be developed and nurtured. 
Students should be focused on pursuing their dreams, not worrying about 
drugs and violence in the classroom.
  Columbine High School, Colorado; in my own district at Hubbard Wood 
School in Winnetkal; and most recently on the campus of Virginia Tech. 
Each of these schools and many others had their sense of safety 
shattered when they were subject to attack by an individual with a gun.
  The Student and Teacher Safety Act will help promote a safer school 
environment by allowing full-time teachers the right to search a 
student or their property should they have reasonable suspicion that a 
weapon or illegal drugs have entered their classroom. The legislation 
simply codifies guidelines established by the U.S. Supreme Court in New 
Jersey v. TLO (1985), which states that reasonable searches by school 
officials do not require a warrant signed by a judge if the search 
would reveal that the student violated the law or school rules and asks 
school districts to develop and implement a policy on school safety.
  Teachers know their students. They know when a student is acting 
suspicious or that there is a problem. We must trust their instincts 
when they believe that their classroom is at risk. We also must protect 
these teachers from the risk of being punished or sued for following 
their instinct. Students have the right to a safe learning environment 
and teachers have the right to a safe workplace.
  The Student and Teacher Safety Act passed the 109th Congress 
unopposed. The nation's largest teacher union, the National Education 
Association, supports the bill and believes ``that a safe and effective 
learning climate is necessary for promoting educational excellence in 
public schools.'' As I have said before, if this bill helps one teacher 
stop one Columbine massacre, then Congress will have served the Nation 
well and protected its children.

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