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

I am delighted to be with everyone from the "Safe Schools/Healthy Students" Coalition. I visit many schools across the country, and what I love to see is what I'm seeing here. I'm talking about partnerships - partnerships among students, families, educators, law enforcement officers, people of faith, and community members. Because working together is really the key to improving education and keeping young people safe.

The great majority of schools in our country are safe. But as we all know, there have been some tragic incidents of violence that have touched us all. And when those tragedies occur, people cry out and say, "What can we do to make our schools safer?" I think the solution is to do what all of you are doing - learning about ways to resolve conflict, and connecting young people to each other, to responsible adults, and to the community.

Those connections make all the difference. Trouble starts when young people feel disconnected. No young person should ever feel alone in this world.

That's why I have asked all parents, grandparents, and family members to talk to their children and know what is going on in their lives. And that's why I've asked every community to make sure that every young person is connected to at least one caring member of that community.

I am so proud that the U. S. Department of Education has been able to support your work. And let me tell you -- I would love to bring more "Safe Schools/Healthy Students" coalitions to more communities. President Clinton and I are asking Congress for an additional $100 million to do just that.

We're also asking Congress for more funds to expand after-school programs to keep students safe and provide enriched learning opportunities. We're asking for funds to help make high schools smaller because students can feel isolated in large schools, and that can make them feel disconnected and hostile. And we're also asking Congress to reduce class size in the early grades so teachers can spend more time with each child. That makes a big difference in student achievement, and it also helps teachers to identify troubled students early and work with parents to help the children.

Unfortunately, Congress is dragging its feet on some of these initiatives, but I hope it will come around.

And let me take a moment to say that I hope the entertainment industry will also come around. It must stop the marketing of violence to young people. We need to put young people ahead of profits.

As I said a moment ago, I prefer to stop trouble before it begins. But when young people don't act responsibly, we must move decisively to protect others. That's why President Clinton asked for and signed the "Gun-Free Schools Act," which requires the expulsion of any student caught bringing a firearm to school.

Today, I am releasing the latest report on how states are implementing the Act. And the report is encouraging. (The report will be available at the department's Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS/news.html)

Between the 1996-'97 school year and the 1997-'98 school year, we saw a significant decline in the number of students caught bringing a firearm to school and expelled. The report I'm releasing today shows that the downward trend continues. There were 3,658 expulsions in the 1997-'98 school year, compared with 3,523 in the 1998-'99 school year, the last year for which we have data.

The trend is also down here in Kentucky. The number of students expelled from '97-'98 to '98-'99 declined from 72 to 37. That's a very impressive drop of 49 percent.

The downward trend tells us that we're moving in the right direction. But the report still shows that nationally, about 350 elementary school students were expelled in the '98-'99 school year. No American can rest easily when children so young are bringing guns to school. We can have strong gun control laws that keep guns out of children's hands and still protect the rights of law-abiding citizens. I hope Congress gets that message and takes action.

And let's keep in mind that expulsion is not the whole solution to the problem of violence. We must find alternative placements for expelled students and give them the education and help they need. I was disturbed last year when we saw a drop in the percentage of students referred for alternative placements nationally. But the latest report shows that this decline has been reversed. This is also encouraging, but this is an area where we clearly need to do better.

Finally, let me emphasize again that the great majority of America's public schools are safe. School is often the only place in the world that is safe for children from troubled homes or dangerous neighborhoods, But we must keep working together until ALL schools and communities are free of violence.

I visited a school in Missouri recently where there was a big sign that read, "ATTITUDES ARE CONTAGIOUS - ARE YOURS WORTH CATCHING?" The "Iroquois High attitude" of working together certainly is worth catching. And I hope that every school and community in America catches it.

I believe that good things happen when we bring good people together. Iroquois High and Louisville are proving that. With wonderful folks like you, I know that our young people's future is in good hands. Thank you all very much.