Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R, NJ-02) announced on Thursday that he is introducing the ‘Stronger Schools Act,’ a sweeping proposal aimed at beefing up security in our nation’s schools after this week’s deadly shooting in Texas.
According to Van Drew’s office, “[t]he bill will direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the Attorney General to work in coordination to develop a program that trains and employs recently discharged veterans and retired law enforcement officers to become School Resource Officers (SRO) in order to better protect our children,” and the proposed legislation “will also include a grant program that will help provide upgraded security to schools, such as a delayed entry system requiring visitors to be buzzed in by administrators.”
”Parents should never have to worry about the safety of their children after dropping them off at school,” said Van Drew. “Instead of Congress sending billions of taxpayer dollars to other countries and spending money on programs for illegal immigrants, it is time we direct our funding towards protecting our children and ensuring our schools are protected from the absolute worst of our society. My bill will ensure that our country’s children are guarded by well-trained and dedicated public servants; if politicians in our country can have armed security, then our students should as well.”
Van Drew sees his bill as a partial solution but nevertheless a major move in the right direction.
“Heinous, unconscionable attacks on our children at school must come to an end. My bill will help employ our nation’s veterans, allow law enforcement officers to continue their dedicated public service, and allow parents to breathe easier knowing that our finest will be protecting their children,” Van Drew added. “While mental health issues must be addressed in our country, this is a first step that both parties should be able to come together and pass in a bipartisan manner in order to protect our children.”
