Two years after the school shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado, national and local leaders are still searching for preventive measures to stop school violence. Unveiling a new bill to a room full of children at P.S. 27 on Tuesday, Rep. Steven Rothman (D-NJ) spoke about the Secure Our Schools Act that addresses school violence.
After receiving a letter from middle school students in Saddle Brook, N.J. worried about the possibility of a shooting occurring on their soil, Rothman began working on the recently passed act that allots $5 million nationally to be distributed to schools that express a need for increased security presence. Rothman said schools could use the money to buy metal detectors or fund programs that train teachers to recognize threats before they become tragedies.
"These funds will allow individual schools to determine what security measures, if any, they need most to safeguard themselves against anything from guns and knives to even schoolyard fights," Rothman said. Since 1993, 7 percent of all high school students were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, according to a government study.
Although the numbers have remained relatively steady, Rothman said there has been a "heightened sense of insecurity on the part of school children and school parents who have written to me."
Walk-through metal detectors cost $1,750 and hand-held metal detectors cost $145, according to Rothman. School districts would have to apply for a federal grant to receive money from the Secure Our Schools Act fund. However, schools must come up with half of the total amount requested in the proposal. Rothman said that this would encourage only schools serious about the program to apply, but added that schools in deep financial trouble could possibly receive the entire amount requested.
The bill began in the House Judiciary Committee in 2000 and just received approval for the funding from the House Appropriations Committee. Rothman serves on both committees and told the dozen students at the press conference that the bill received bipartisan support. The money should be available sometime in 2002, he said. The Justice Department is currently working out the logistics of how much each school would receive that receives approval for the grant.
To be sure, $5 million is not a lot of money when considering that it is intended to serve the entire nation. "We’re hoping to demonstrate its success and build on it," Rothman said.
Announced in J.C.
Rothman, who represents parts of Hudson County and Bergen County, said he came to P.S. 27 in the Heights of Jersey City to announce the new legislation because school security is often a bigger concern in urban districts. "While this is a program that is available to all schools, it might have its greatest appeal to urban school districts where weapons are a daily threat," Rothman said.
Mayor Glenn Cunningham attended as well, and told the children that Rothman deserved an "A" for his work.
"I think it’s a good start," Cunningham said. "Because [Rothman] represents the Hudson area, I think it will help us."
Some Jersey City schools use hand-held metal detectors, Cunningham said. "It’s not just the physical things we need," Cunningham said. He added that the money could also aid other crime-fighting programs targeted toward students at risk of breaking the law. "This is a perfect dressing for programs that we’ve been talking about."
For example, the increase in phone-in threats at Lincoln High School has reached five false alarms during the day at Lincoln High School, repeatedly interrupting class time. Money from the Secure Our Schools Act could be invested in equipment that monitors telephone calls, Cunningham said.