United States Senate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 25, 2007		Contacts: Natalie Ravitz (Boxer): 202–224–8120 Chris Bender (Lautenberg): 202-224-4858 Cody Wertz (Salazar): 303-350-0032 Andrew Koneschusky (Schumer): 202-224-7433 Sandra Abrevaya (Durbin): (202) 224-7115
BOXER, LAUTENBERG, SALAZAR, SCHUMER AND DURBIN WORK TO MAKE AMERICA’S SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES SAFER Legislation would require colleges to prepare for emergency situations Washington, D.C. – In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) have added new provisions to the School Safety Enhancements Act of 2007, legislation the Senators first introduced in February to help ensure better security at America’s schools. The new provisions of the bill specifically would amend section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each college and university that receives federal student aid funding to conduct an annual campus safety assessment in consultation with local law enforcement officials. The bill would also require that those colleges and universities develop and implement a campus emergency response plan to address law enforcement emergencies such as active shooter situations and bomb threats, as well as terrorist attacks and natural disasters. “Like all Americans, I watched in horror as the terrible events at Virginia Tech unfolded,” Senator Barbara Boxer said. “We will never be able to prevent every possible tragedy, but we would be remiss if we didn’t take action to make America’s schools safer. Our children deserve to learn and grow without fear of violence, and their families deserve peace of mind.” “What happened at Virginia Tech was a horrible reminder that we need to help schools at every level prepare for and respond to emergencies,” Senator Frank R. Lautenberg said. “If we're serious about giving our young people a strong education, then we've got to give them safe schools in which to learn.” “The recent tragedy at Virginia Tech is a bitter reminder that we must be ever vigilant when it comes to the safety of our children, no matter what their age or grade level,” said Senator Ken Salazar. “In Colorado, after Columbine, law enforcement officers, elected officials, students, teachers and community members joined together to address safety issues at our elementary and high schools; we need to ensure that our colleges and universities determine their current safety levels by working with them to develop annual campus safety assessments and that they have emergency response plans, because a sound plan can not only save seconds in response time, it can save lives.” “Schools should be places of safety and protection, where children can learn and grow undisturbed,” Senator Chuck Schumer said. “Last week, the horrific violence at Virginia Tech was a painful wake-up call that we need to be doing more to make our schools safe. No student should have to fear for his or her safety while attending class. This bill will help restore our shaken confidence by taking necessary steps to improve school safety.” “In light of the terrible tragedy at Virginia Tech, we must make certain that all of our schools have effective emergency response procedures in place,” said Senator Durbin. “We owe this to parents and students all across the nation.” The original School Safety Enhancements Act of 2007 improves the Secure Our Schools program, which is currently administered by the Department of Justice through the COPS program. Title I of the bill, addressing elementary and secondary education, would do the following: Add surveillance equipment, tiplines/hotlines, and capital improvements to the list of approved uses of grant funds (money may already be used for metal detectors and locks). Create an inter-agency task force between the Justice Department and the Department of Education to develop and publish advisory school safety guidelines. Strengthen the bond between law enforcement and schools by requiring more joint consultation and coordination during the application process for these grants. Increase the program authorization from $30 million a year to $50 million a year. Increase the federal share of covering the costs of these programs from 50% to 80%. The legislation is also being cosponsored by Senators Ted Kennedy and Sherrod Brown. # # #