The Safe Schools Improvement Act

Floor Speech

Ms. LINDA T. SÁNCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing the Safe Schools Improvement Act. My lead co-sponsors Rep. McCarthy, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen and I strongly believe this bill provides crucial support to our efforts to reduce the national drop-out rate and make schools safer for all students.

An unsafe school environment interferes with students' ability to learn. Children who are bullied miss more school, have lower self-esteem, and are more likely to drop-out or commit suicide than those who are not. Nearly 40 percent of middle-school and high-school students report that they do not feel safe at school and one in 10 high school drop-outs report that frequent bullying was a major reason they dropped out. As we move to reauthorize the landmark No Child Left Behind law, we must examine and address how improvements in school safety can positively affect student attendance and academic achievement.

The Safe Schools Improvement Act would require schools that receive funding from the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to implement an anti-bullying policy that protects students from bullying and harassment. It also requires these schools to collect data regarding bullying and harassment incidents and would allow them teach students about the consequences of bullying and harassment.

Today's children are the economic engine of our future, and we are relying on schools to provide the education they need. Congress must therefore help schools provide safe places for students to learn. If we do not, we risk losing more children to the streets, to depression, or even to suicide. America's children deserve our support. They deserve the Safe Schools Improvement Act.

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