U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued the below statement following a White House event commemorating the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act:
“The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is an important step toward addressing years of inaction and indifference in response to heartbreaking gun violence in our schools and communities.
At the U.S. Department of Education, we will work diligently to invest more than $2 billion provided under this law to improve mental health supports for students and expand access to school-based health services. We also will assist states and districts in using these resources to invest in evidence-based practices that support safe schools.
And thanks to months of conversations already underway between my team and our colleagues at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Biden-Harris Administration has a head start on efforts to break down barriers faced by school-based health providers in delivering mental health supports and services to students in need.
Educators, families, students, and communities should be full partners in the implementation of this bill. While this legislation won’t stop every act of gun violence in our country, it provides more tools to toughen background checks, prevent needless tragedies, and save lives.
I thank the countless students, families, and educators who continue to stand together to call for change, and commend those in Congress with the courage to answer President Biden’s call for action.
Now it’s time to get to work.”