[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 16 (Monday, April 24, 2000)]
[Pages 850-851]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

April 15, 2000

    Good morning. As we prepare next week to mark the one-year 
anniversary of the tragedy at Columbine High School, our thoughts turn 
to the safety of our communities, schools, and children. All of us--
parents, schools, communities, and government--share responsibility to 
keep our children safe. We've all got to do our part. This morning I 
want to talk about three steps our administration is taking to support 
school and community efforts to prevent youth violence.
    We know the best approach to the problem of youth violence is a 
comprehensive one. That means students and parents, teachers and police 
officers, judges, counselors, and religious leaders all working 
together. That's why we created the Safe Schools Healthy Students 
initiative, to find and fund the best local ideas for preventing youth 
violence. Today I am announcing $40 million in new grants for 23 school 
districts that have come up with innovative and successful strategies to 
reach out to troubled young people. These districts are bringing school 
nurses and counselors together to respond to warning signs like 
depression or bullying. They're improving classroom security and 
expanding

[[Page 851]]

after-school and mentoring programs. From little Arkansas towns to big 
California cities, they're making a difference in the lives of our 
children and our communities.
    Second, I'm announcing new grants under our COPS in Schools 
initiative, providing more than $60 million for police officers to work 
in schools in more than 220 communities. The vast majority of our 
schools are safe places for kids to learn. But any violent incident is 
one too many. This initiative helps to hire and train school resource 
officers to be a real part of children's daily lives--using the 
community policing strategies that have made neighborhoods safer all 
over America. Already it has placed 2,200 officers in more than 1,000 
communities across our Nation, where they are heightening school safety 
as well as coaching sports and acting as mentors and mediators for kids 
in need.
    Third, I'm announcing a new initiative to support counseling 
programs for elementary schools. The Department of Education has set 
aside $20 million to fund local grant proposals, because we have seen 
all too clearly that even our youngest children sometimes need our help. 
When I was Governor of Arkansas, Hillary and I helped our State to 
become the first State in America to mandate counselors for schools, 
elementary schools. We want to help all of our elementary schools who 
are willing to have the same sort of support.
    Here at the White House, I've created a Council on Youth Violence to 
coordinate the work of the Federal agencies. We know the key to all of 
our success, however, is leadership in the community, at the grassroots. 
Last year I challenged Americans from community organizations, the 
media, business, and all walks of life to mobilize against youth 
violence. The result was the National Campaign Against Youth Violence, 
working to bring together a cross-section of citizens to keep our 
children safe.
    Just this week in Memphis the National Campaign kicked off a 
nationwide initiative to put the resources of business in the service of 
safer, stronger communities. They'll visit 15 cities and sponsor town 
meetings and media events, mobilize young people, school officials, 
business and religious leaders. And in every city, the National Campaign 
will remind each of us of our responsibility to do all we can to keep 
America's children safer.
    Those of us who are parents have perhaps the greatest 
responsibility. We need to talk about safety and security in every house 
in America--beginning in the White House. That's why Hillary and I are 
sponsoring a White House Conference on Teenagers next month. We'll 
invite parents and teens, experts and educators to talk through the 
challenges of raising responsible children and the opportunities we all 
have to help our young people make the most of their lives.
    The great American author and champion of human rights, Pearl Buck, 
once said, ``If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us 
all.'' In our national struggle against youth violence, we must not fail 
our children. Our future depends on it.
    Thanks for listening.

 Note: The address was recorded at 5:20 p.m. on April 14 in the Rayburn 
Room at the Atlanta Airport Hilton and Towers in Atlanta, GA, for 
broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April 15. The transcript was made available 
by the Office of the Press Secretary on April 14 but was embargoed for 
release until the broadcast.