A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

   FOR RELEASE                                Contact:  David Thomas    April 7, 1995                                      (202) 401-1579

First Safe Schools Grants Awarded

The U.S. Department of Education has announced the first federal grants aimed specifically at helping make schools more secure.

Awards totaling $18 million are going to 19 school districts under provisions of the Safe Schools Act.

President Clinton will discuss the issue of school safety tomorrow at the National Education Association's Summit on Safe Schools in Los Angeles [Century Plaza Hotel and Towers, 1 p.m. PDT].

"Every school day thousands of America's children find themselves threatened -- in playground arguments that may escalate into fistfights, or confrontations with lethal weapons that may end in death or permanent injury," President Clinton said. "Many just stay home rather than face the possibility of violence. We've got to turn that around, and we can. These grants are a start in reclaiming the schools. We cannot retreat."

The House has voted to eliminate all but $10 million of the $482 million fiscal year 1995 appropriation for Safe and Drug- Free Schools. However, the Senate rescission bill leaves the entire amount. A conference committee will resolve the difference and submit a final bill to the president. "In poll after poll, parents say their most urgent concern is security," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "They expect safe classrooms, safe campuses and safe communities. An essential aspect of education reform must be to end the tragic violence that is paralyzing some neighborhoods."

The competitive, 18-month grants are going to school districts with significant crime, violence and disciplinary problems.

The Safe Schools Act, signed into law on March 31, 1994, was enacted to help communities achieve the National Education Goal that every school be free of drugs and violence by the year 2000.

The new law gives schools great flexibility to tailor efforts that address local needs. Most of the funds will be used for such activities as conflict-resolution and peer mediation; counseling for crime victims; training school personnel; involving parents in preventing school violence; and planning comprehensive, long-term violence prevention strategies. Up to 5 percent of a grant may be used for metal detectors or security personnel.

For example:

Chicago Public Schools will use part of a $3 million grant to form teams focused on security, crisis- intervention, and education and training. A network will be created to relay emergency and crisis-related information. The effort involves a variety of community representatives, including schools, business and government;
St. Louis Public Schools will use a $914,000 grant to support Project Safety Nets, a collaboration with the local police department and a broad range of community organizations. They will establish student mediation panels at each middle and high school, and will train parents and community education councils in conflict management techniques.

In addition to the grants announced today, the District of Columbia has received $1 million under the Safe Schools Act. The law designated the District as a national model city and directed the education secretary to provide funds for the community to "carry out a comprehensive program to address school and youth violence."