From the Office of Senator Kerry

Friday, July 20, 2001

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced today that the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State has approved $1 Million to increase safety in the Boston Public Schools.

Senator Kerry said, "This funding will help the Boston Public Schools increase the safety of every student, teacher and administrator. Mayor Menino has initiated a terrific twelve-point school safety program to prevent violence in our schools – these federal dollars are a testimony to his efforts and will go a long way towards helping create a safe learning environment for all of our Boston students."

"These funds will help make our schools safer," said Senator Kennedy. "The City of Boston has done an outstanding job of developing the School Safety Initiative, which will ensure Boston's children have a safe place to live."

"As a father and grandfather, I know that nothing is more important than the health and well being of our children," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "That's why I established the School Safety Initiative to ensure that every child in Boston has a safe learning environment in which to thrive. I want to thank Senators Kerry and Kennedy for leading the charge to bring this funding to Boston. By continuing to work together, we can stop the violence and bring the three R's reading, writing and respect back to the classroom."

The Boston School Department's Chief of School Safety, working closely with the Boston Police Department, has developed a strategic plan for enhancing the safety of our school environment. The plan involves establishing closed circuit television for the front doors of all small school buildings and isolated areas of large buildings, installing metal detectors, making wireless laptop computers available for use by school supervisors and the Boston Police Department for "truancy sweeps", providing outdoor security lighting and two-way radios for school police and administrators, and training staff and students in safety procedures and conflict resolution. Federal funding is crucial to assist the City of Boston in solving the sever problem of violence in schools and to help implement their recently announced twelve-point school safety plan.