Transcripts For CSPAN Hearing On School Safety 20240713

Cabell. [background sounds] the subcommittee his meeting today to receive testimony on engaging the communities respective of School Security. Good morning and thank you everyone. The subcommittee is meeting to discuss Community Perspectives on School Safety and how the federal government can better support local stakeholders in making our children safer. On the think the witnesses work to participating in todays hearing. First we have, ms. Lauren hogg, and mr. Max schaffner, testimonies are once the American Public needs to hear and once that members of congress should take to heart as we go about our work. A special thank you to both for sharing your experience with us. Jen would also to acknowledge congressman deutsche, who does not set on this committee but he represents florida has been a champion for measures to improve School Safety. I asked the consent to allow to question the witnesses at todays hearing. That went out objection, it is so ordered. Im both of this hearing can build upon the School Safety field hearing the subcommittee held last year in new jersey. The 2019, and 22 any school year as well underway and our kids are at risk in violence every day. As a parent of triplets, all is it too often i watch the news and i am terrified by what i see here. Tragically School Violence is taking lives of is it too Many American children and educators. Now 20 years since Columbine High School massacre, which left 13 victims dead, our children are still incredibly vulnerable. While attending school. Since columbine, and even before our nation has been rocked by tragic cycle of School Shootings. The 2012 sandy hook shooting left a staggering 20 children and six adults dead date congress fell short of passing legislation to combat gun violence in schools. In 2018, there are 24 shootings in k12 schools around the country. Including the shooting at Marjory Stoneman douglas high schools in parkland florida and left 14 children and three teachers dead. The shooting at Santa Fe High School in santa fe texas, that claimed ten victims. The threat to our students continues. During the first half of 2019, or 22 School Shootings. Just last week a teenager was arrested in washington state, were planning to attack school on the 21st anniversary of columbine. Still the response from the Trump Administration and republican control senate has been wholly inadequate. After parkland, Congress Asked the stop School Violence act and provide funds for schools looking to improve their safety and structure. However, it is important to remember the School Infrastructure is only one part of the solution to keep our children safe. More must be done. In 2018, hundred and 13 people were killed or injured in School Shootings. In the united states. In the same year, at least 1200 children were killed by gun violence around the country. Then violence must be addressed both inside and outside of schools to really improve the safety of children in america. We cannot truly improve safety for children until we address these threats. Regardless of where they happen. That is why the democraticcontrolled house, as past or move multiple pieces of legislation aimed at making our children and our country safer including universal background checks and grants for states to use red flag clause. Additionally i am proud that on april 1st, 2019, the house passed my bill, the class act which would establish an council within vhs, ensure the department or dates School Safety activities. I hope the senate will finally act on these measures. As the American Public awaits a meaningful congressional response. Like the senate, tom administration has failed to consider seriously Solutions Addressing School Safety. Lester the administration his federal commission on School Safety published a report that included no new proposals for federal policy or funding to make schools safer. Instead it promoted Arming School personnel, a policy that both students and educators groups oppose. Perhaps the only positive outcome for the commission his work, was the decision to establish a federal safety clearinghouse. The department of Homeland Security is leading so long with the dews department of education justice and health and human services. This committee will be following the role out of the clearinghouse later this year. I am to hear from the witnesses how such a tool might be useful to them in their work to improve School Safety. Additionally, yesterday the administration published a new planning guide to help School Districts develop and maintain and customize Emergency Operation plans. While such guidance may be useful for districts, it does not address the root problems leading to violence in schools. Nor does it provide School Districts that are stretched thin. New resources to fill the School Safety needs. Our children are experiencing a new normal and one that troubles me. After shooter girls are the new normal in schools. While i recognize the importance of them, i am saddened that our country has come to a place where they are necessary. We must do more to ensure that School Violence and shootings are a thing of the past. And our kids feel safe when learning. We must do more to protect the next generation area this country and communities like the ones i serve, and our kids are counting on us. Citizens from across the country are speaking loudly about the need for progress on the subject matter we must do our best to respond. With that i recognize the Ranking Member of the subcommittee general and from new york. Mr. King for an Opening Statement. We also command congressman for his efforts on this dedication. Mr. Chairman, i would like to introduce this into the record. Here the witnesses on testimony. [inaudible conversation] with that now i recognize the chairman of the community mr. Thompson its not here yet. On the Committee Rulebook and statements may be submitted for the record. I we will our panel of witnesses. Our first witness may be the youngest witness to appear before this subcommittee is lauren, cofounder of marks per lives. Survivor of the School Shooting in Stoneman Douglas high school. In parkland, florida. Off of she may be on, miss is undoubtedly and unfortunately, an expert on this topic. I am thankful she is here testifying for her first congressional hearing. She will share her experiences. Next we have missus mays the director of the office of the Homeland Security to prepare. Missus maples has appeared numerous times. I thank him for coming back. Next we have ms. Cassie, who is the director of texas School Safety center. Its a part of the Texas State University and has been focused on improving School Safety in texas for the past 20 years. Lastly, we have mr. Shatner, the founder and ceo of safe schools for alex. An organization he found after losing his son to the School Shooting in parkland, florida. Again, thank you for being here today. That went out objection the witnesses. Will be inserted into the record. I now thanks each witness to summarize his or her statements for five minutes. Thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to give a students perspective on school scoot security. I am a cofounder of march our lives as you just work. I am a junior in high school. Im simply a concerned student who just wants to survive high school both metaphorically and literally. I have this testimony isnt efforts to protect students from all zip codes in all races and going through what myself and my classmates have in the wake of School Shooting. My testimony i am staying that i am honored to be here, i would not be here if not for the horrendous events that took place on february 14th, 2018, at my high school marjorie Stoneman Douglas. Thirtyfour of my classmates and my friends and my teachers and coaches were injured and 17 of them fatally shot with an ar 15 in our hallway. Additionally off of i am here today using my own experience of evidence against the military of schools. I am here not to thanks for your sympathy. I am here to thanks for your consideration and direction. I was more effort combine and i was nine years old sn hook. But for most of my live i have been enforced the importance of School Security. A summary member the perspective week back at school after the sandy hook shooting took place. I was in fourth grade and i remember sitting in the first hour of school watching my teachers shoes on the remote carpet she tried, no avail to explain with the code bill was to a room of county audi students. Security measures, i never thought twice about them, until four years later when my friend elena posed the question, why we were having the drills in the first place. In eighth grade, elena sat in front of me in our American History class. If i be honest, we never really talked about School Security in the context of preventing a mass shooting. Until one day when my friend austin return to school after surviving the Fort Lauderdale his shooting the previous week. Then on our front row, contemplated the effectiveness of our School Safety procedures while standing and adjacent order or classroom every three months. Nearly a year later, the three of us are at school, nervous specimens on valentines day, and once again we went through the code. The only difference was this time, only two of us made it home. Elena was 14 years old when she was murdered. The week after valentines day was full of things. Full of tears, full of funerals and full of much talk around School Security. Ill never forget the first morning back at school. When we first arrived at the campus, we were welcomed back by what seemed like every Armed Security officer and the whole county. It was truly a sea of black and blue uniforms. They thought there making us feel safe and for that i am eternally grateful. But the sight of yet another man holding a gun was enough to make many of us feel sick. Our school which once was considered a safe haven of learning by many of us, was turned into a place of imprisonment. Additionally much like our National Incarceration system, our school was flooded with resource officers that ironically were considered safety precautions. Please wear my black and brown classmates were disproportionately penalized. Three times the rate of the white students. Seven but the schools were over militarized me to see my prison. The idea the violence is something to be expected at schools what we thought. That is no mindset for any child to learn. Following the tragedy in my High School Individuals including the secretary of education, look to increase the presence of firearms schools. Diet is an individual and representative of march our lives, strongly oppose the notion that Arming Teachers will make our schools safer. Theres a fine line between proper security and militarization and i urge you to consult those most students. Having here in the students but the students must continue to be consulted. I urge you to consider is the non a base of proactive measures. Not simply a punitive reactive measures. We need to invest in agile health resources. A trained Mental Health professional. Rather than relying solely on counselors. To those who suggest a solution is to simply hire more School Resource officers, let me remind you that the armed people in my high school did nothing to my 17 teachers and classmates that were murdered. They have been charged in fact for child neglect for his actions. It was our football coach who protected our classmates in front lost his live. School safety cannot be addressed fully that went out addressing our nations gun violence happening. Given this, and preach all of you to look more into a company is the plan and keep land for a safer america. Consider promoting Safety Measures that i would describe as putting a bandaid on our students bulletins, i thanks of you to think of what is actually beneficial to us students. I help with all of my being, the gun violence legislation is passed and perhaps wont have to be having 16 yearold speaking at hearings on School Safety. Altogether, i hope that when it comes to School Security, i would have to seven day your students half my age claimed that they were born after the margrave douglas and grew up an environment where they were forced importance of School Security until they went through a mass shooting of their own. Students are tired of being tired. Our future and the future of this country is at stake. The future of this country safety is now in your hands. The queue. Thank you for your testimony. I now recognize mr. Maples. German bank, Ranking Member and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. It is an honor to speak with you and share the work my office is doing to keep residents and visitors new jersey safe. Specially with regard to educational institutions. In new Jersey Office of Homeland Security and preparedness as tough with counterterrorism and resilient the sechey security es across the all levels of the government. Nonprofit organizations and the private sector. We are charged with bolstering new jerseys resources for Critical Infrastructure protection and preparedness and training and federal grants management. The tech against children and staff, and what should be the safe haven of education, is perhaps the most jarring threat we face. The incidents across the country, stark reminders of schools are often targeted by those acting to look for violence. With the assistance in delaware, preventative School Shooting this past june. When we arrested a man possessing a loaded firearm and additional ammunition in Elementary School in westfield, new jersey. The safety of our children and those charged with their care, are paramount. We must do all of that is necessary to provide students and staff with a sense of comfort and security in their learning environments. Parents and guardians deserve the peace of mind that their children will return to them at the end of the school day. For that reason, Governor Murphy Administration is a sink and combining of resources to ensure the protection of her children. My office is work to protect our students would not be possible that went out the strong partnerships we have with local state and federal agencies. We are proud of the collaborative progress we continue to make in the state and strengthen the security throughout all of our institutions. Including an education. However, we recognize that artworks never complete. We continue to reap proof is the only way to succeed in protecting the schools in the country. Please be mindful that we will always seek to improve our approach for is preventing the censuses from occurring in the first place. A focus on prevention is key in this topping an incident before it starts and avoiding the need to employ response tactics. It is our goal to be first preventers as well as First Responders and make certain our commuters and versicles are preparedness invest equally above practices. We need awareness and citizens and Law Enforcement combined with the new jersey attender journal that calls for the local w received tips about the acto immediately ny my office as counterterrorism unit. And president increase in School Related reports to the nj his dark system. Additionally, our office, so long with the fbi Newark Field Office created highlevel thresholds and notification protocols. To ensure that all threats are likely leads. Articulate ones above schools. They are immediately actions. State and federal Law Enforcement entities which allows for a more standardized investor and analysis, and expeditious action to mitigate threats. We will continue to prioritize the edification of suspicious activity. As well as ensure there is a clear path for reporting and addressing issues before anything can occur. We will expand innovative efforts to measures such as Training School personnel including administrators faculty School Resource officers custodians and bus drivers in the community as a whole on how to recognize and report suspicious activity. My agency also collaborated with the department of education and University Hospital provide in person training for School Safety specialist, and to distribute more than 18000 lead control kits throughout School Districts in new jersey. Through drills throughout the state, we can test the effectiveness. In an environment that is controlled, but realistic. We also continue to conduct largescale efforts shooter exercises for k12 schools ensuring that everyone including schoolchildren, know what actions to take in case of it an emergency situation. With that in mind, new jersey colleges and universities participate in quarterly Mass Gathering Working Group. It is aimed at identifying and addressing these common vulnerabilities. In filling any capability gaps at locations where students gather throughout the state. We created a School Security subcommittee on the status Domestic Task force which i chair. 240 best practices across state agencies and integrate with National Priority and local needs. Lastly, my office and the new jersey state police, in coordination with county and local partners, and physical securities and schools as well as provide training to local Law Enforcement agencies to increase the capabilities to conduct assessments across the state. One of the biggest safety and security challenges many educational institutions throughout new jersey is funding. Legislation introduced by chairman payne, hr 6920, would provide dedicated federal funding on current funding of 90 million every year that is earmarked for strict glee for School Security. This funding would greatly assist will throughout the country including new jersey and resources that would enable some of the most very goals we have set out to achieve in the areas of prevention and response. The inclusion, efforts such as the Mass Gathering Working Group Community Outreach and countless trainings and exercise our office connects every year. We will highlight all that is necessary for the safety and security of all. We remain dedicated and continuing efforts. To further collaborate with our partners. And work towards addressing threats to a focus on prevention. Chairman payne, Ranking Member came and established members of the subcommittee, i think you again for the opportunity to testify today. I look forward to your questions and youll back to the chair. Thank you for your testimony sir. Now recognize ms. Martinez, her statements for five minutes. Chairman payne, Ranking Member came in members of the committee, a cue for the opportunity to testify today on the topic of School Safety and for your leadership and making School Safety a priority in a critical part of the educational agenda for all of our schools across the country. I am the director of the texas School Safety center, at Texas State University and im here to discuss the efforts of the center to support schools and effectively tearing out mandates and best practices in texas. The importance of efforts in developing the copperheads of approach to School Safety and the impact that Community Violence also have in our schools. As you know aware, our schools face challenges and have the potentl toit heat the learning process. These challenges can range from human caused acts of violence, natural disasters, to more frequent safety issues that our schools deal with everything obey. The tragic events in santa fe texas and parkland florida and countless others, and impacted our Nation School continue to remind us that we have a lot of work to do. We only continue to work and collaborate to ensure our students have a safe ways to learn and thrive. The texas School Safety center was created in 1999, following the columbine shooting. The center past and the texas Education Code and the governor his home and Strategic Plan as the central clearinghouse for dissemination of School Safety information, including training and research and Technical Assistance for all k12 districts. Schools and Community Colleges across the state. The center has a governor appointed teachers and School Superintendents school board attendees Law Enforcement and parents also provided a diverse perspective to perform the work that we do. Texas has a proximally a thousand 25 School Districts. Includes over 9000 individual campuses. 700 Charter Schools, 50 Community Colleges, all serving over 5. 3 Million Students. Texas schools are charged currently with several School Safety mandates. Some of those include the adoption and of limitation of multi hazard operational plan. Providing for employee training, and responding to emergency. Conducting drills and exercises to prepare students and employees including substitute teachers for responding to an emergency conducting an audit of all registered facilities once every three years and establishing a full safety and security money. This last texas legislative. Further enhance the posture of safety in the texas schools. Those mandates i will highlight. School districts Charter Schools and Community Colleges must submit their hazard operation plans now for review and verification for this School Safety center. With the opportunity for the center to provide feedback after the School District to make corrective action. A School District also must now establish a Behavioral Threat Assessment Team to serve each campus of the district. Minimize will also be a School Safety board member to inform and prioritize the Critical Role that School Design place to uphold the positive stated learning environment. Our commissioner of education has to also adopted standards that provide for a safe and secure learning environment. On may 18th, 2018 come Santa Fe High School, was the target. It was a senseless attack taking lives of ten people. He students and two teachers. The high school and district as well as community, continue to recover also continue to make School Safety a priority. The center knows the School Safety have many present hazards and vulnerabilities. Impact is no doubt catastrophic. Thats what we take those comprehensive approach to School Safety. We provide training, develop tools and resources, or schools on how to prevent and or mitigate, as well as respond to and recover from any dive boat threat or hazard that could arise. School Architecture Design is one of those key medication strategies. Be clear this its not about installing cameras and metal detectors off of that may be appropriate for some schools, this is about designing schools to be learning spaces first. Once that contain minimally invasive security measures. This best practice ensures that both of building is new or existing, as physical features do not negatively affect teachers or students or the community at large. The center also stresses the school the importance of prevention efforts in the overall competence of the approach to School Safety. As i mentioned earlier, texas now requires School Districts to have behavioral assessment teams. In responding, to an active shooter if it or knowing what to do if an intruder enters the building are skills that students teachers and administrators unfortunately, need to practice and protect. However, we know that educators are most interested in being permitted and interactive not reactive. After a violent if it occurs in the school, people want to know what we couldve done to have this if it prevented. School shooting research shared that these can be prevented because the actors planted in advance and they tell other people. Its often carried out because theres a loophole of desperation. Violence is the only option left to solve the problem. Behavioral threat assessment, provides a proactive and identifying individuals who may pose a threat to themselves or others, intervening with appropriate resources, and ultimately improving the safety and wellbeing of the individual of concern situation and the school. The goal of threat assessment its not to punish the child its not intended to be an adversarial process, is connect them with the appropriate intervention they need to sew a threat can be averted. Lastly, i want to bring attention to the impact that Community Violence has on schools. Most recently, on august 3rd 2019, gunmen in El Paso Texas entered a walmart and took the lives of 22 people. Including a student from a nearby School District. Eight weeks later in august 31st, gunmen senselessly killed seven people throughout the midland Odessa Community including a student of a nearby School District. And allf those these were not School Shootings, add a Significant Impact on the School Districts in those communities. As mentioned, two of those individuals killed were students and many others either friends or family members in some way connected to the School District. In the aftermath of these acts of violence, many of the School Districts in these communities were provided resources to assist counseling for students, staff and parents, which in some districts still continue today. I want to finally communicate with the School Safety is the shared responsibility. In multiple parts. Superintendents and principals and teachers and Mental Health nationals. Law enforcement architects, state agency organizations, parents, students, policymakers, i am ensuring that our schools are safe and healthy. We give our children the opportunity to excel academically and emotionally and socially. Again thank you for the opportunity to speak today and i look forward to answering any questions you may have. Thank you for your testimony. I now recognize mr. Shatner, summarize his statement for five minutes. My name is max, my son alex was one of 17 people that were brutally murdered at this Marjorie Douglass months high school last year. After gerry my semi priority was to make sure that my others are three children were safe in their schools. I spent the last year advocating for a national School Safety best practices, that can be recognize that the federal loophole and how is School Safety website and made available to all schools. My goal is to make it as easy as possible for schools to be as safe as possible. I am pleased to see the president his federal commission on School Safety report recommend development of this clearinghouse. In the department of Homeland Security so long with other federal agencies, have been working extremely hard to implement this recommendation. I recently reviewed a demonstration of the dhs new School Safety clearinghouse website, is School Safety. Gov and i was extremely impressed as well. I hope whats the website his launch there will be an aggressive Outreach Campaign to schools and School Districts so they can take advantage of this information as quickly as possible. Two areas that this committee can of the most impact are in the areas of grants and emergency communications. With regards to grants, grants can be used so i understand that seeing a preparedness that can be used today by local jurisdictions to support School Safety enhancement. Recommend to consider fema grant dollars that are used for School Safety are used to implement the best practices identified on the dhs School Safety clearinghouse website. And that they should be used on the most basic safety enhancements before anything else. Excessive technology upgrades, should take those backseat to commonsense measures that enhance security. With regard to emergency communications, and parkland, the First Responder radios failed and work not interoperable. The laying help for victims who are dying on the third floor waiting for medical attention, s. W. A. T. Teams had to resort to using hand signals to avoid shooting each other because radios failed. The 911 Commission Report highlighted this problem as the pentagon and at ground zero nearly 20 years later, the same problem played our First Responders and my sensible. This its not acceptable and it has to stop. Congress cant force all First Responder agencies use a single radio system but you can incentivize agencies to become instantly interoperable as soon as an incident happens regardless of what radio system you know using. In addition to grants and communications improvements, i recommend Congress Passed the eagles act. To reauthorize the u. S. Secret service is National Threat Assessment Center so that they can expand the reach to help states develop assessment programs. These programs can identify students that he exhibits concerning behavior and get them the help they need. Before they commit acts of targeted violence. I also support the tax act which would result in a dhs led process to develop threat assessment capabilities at the broadest loophole across the united states. The secrecy of verse uses threat assessment teams to protect the president. To protect you and congress, our children deserve the same protection. In my view the reason School Shootings have been an epidemic for the last two decades, is number one, parents and Community Members have a mindset that it cant happen here. That falls into partly due to the facts that schools are not being honest with the public about violence on the campus. Additionally schools are not successfully establishing positive Culture Climate is in many cases resulting in bullying which can lead the school mass murder. We need to do a better job of teaching kids the tools to deal with their anger rejection and failure later in live. Florida has implemented loss gain School District compliance they believe the most effective strategy to doing this is to have blood pressure. To make School Districts prioritize safety and security. And firstly there is no Rating System that currently exists to tell parents both of or not the school is safe. When parents go online to look at ratings of k12, many of them have a ratings. They dont realize that its just academics. Academics are important. But if the children do not come home from their school every day, nothing else matters. The car industry his crash test ratings have improved fatalities. For parents are is no way to know if their child school is safe. Evelyn School Safety Rating System would influence change nationwide. It is been 20 years since columbine, and children continue to be murdered in the classrooms. Unfortunately we know that the next school mass murder is already out there. Its not a question of if it is a question of when. We know what can be done. To prevent it and we know what must be done to mitigate the risk of more lives lost. Thank you very much and i look forward to your questions. I like to thank all of the witnesses for the testimonies. I remind each member a he or she will have five minutes to question the panel. I will now recognize myself for questions. Ms. Alpes, on take those minute be question to show a video that marks on our lives put out about after Shooter Drills and schools. In reality, the kids are going through today, for context this is the real students, was not scripted. Let us play the video please. Going to be learning what to do in the if it of an active shooter. Were going to bring in a special gun, its actually an expert on this and shes going to be leading a Team Building if it. [inaudible conversation] kaylee, active shooter, we do talk out loud, the shooters know you are are and where you are hiding. Sometimes we play the games, just be part of why its the longest so we all remember. You can try protect your friends by pushing the table and chairs against the doors. But it beats the paper the doors of the cat scan. He cant drive. It gives away your position. In hiding spot. And if you are in the bathroom, just stand on the toilet seat and crunched down. So they cant see your feet and they cant see your head. So they dont know you are in there. Simple things that can help the police. For example, you say things like big big big big bang. She rightly down the hall. A slow staying bang. He could be right outside the door that the cedar comes in the room, screaming wont do anything. Just to try and fight back you cant escape, you may have to break a window, and climbed through. Our teachers sang a song to make it easy to remember. Lock down, like the stores and stay inside. Crouch on down dont make a sound and dont cry or youll be found. Each of the subcommittee will go through your mind we do see this video. And what should congress be doing to help ensure the kids are safe and schoo rather than putting the responsibility of kids to become experts in the active shooter situations. I was grateful enough to be able to be part of the creat team on this video. I remember when i first saw it on the first thing that came to mind as myself. I saw myself in that little girl loves giving that training. That was me. As mindy my whole live. As i said, was born after columbine. We learned those little lines. The nursery rhyme things that are supposed to teach you how to survive when somebody comes into your school to murder you. Additionally i think there are many things that can be done that i addressed. But i think of course, i will always say this but the first step though it may be difficult is to address the nonviolence academics. Initially like i said, we must invest money in a school Mental Health resources. And that we cannot just say again or hear again on my perspective members of congress say that theyre going to do something about Mental Health because i completely agree with that but at then they do absolutely nothing. Ive seen what it is like. I am still in school. I think for many people and many legislatures like yourself, school is different these days the menu at school. There are so many extended pressures. We have to deal with this every single day. So i would really push Mental Health. Think you need to have those conversations Mental Health professionals themselves. See what works best. With that video all i saw wase and that is so me and it probably will still forever be me because that was what i was taught was i was learning my abcs. Student thank you. The chair recognizes mr. King. Make all of the witnesses. Her trying to make something positive out of something so horrible so i want to thank you for that. Doctor maples, limiting up with you. First of all thank you for your work at Homeland Security. I know the work you do and i am very appreciative of that. Imagine training pogroms in france. Do you think those programs are successful in preventing violence. In our schools preventing a . The Training Programs we have existing new jersey, one of the biggest folks there is for us on the preventative part. So we are really focusing on everything from bus drivers to concern is to see 50 students as far as the classmate is demonstrating a person they know is demonstrating behavioral indicators, they should report that. So part of the training becomes one recognizing with his behavior started to where to go with the information. In a way that maintains everybodys rights but allows us to look into it and work with Mental Health professionals. The School District in the Law Enforcement part, etc. From that perspective we are implementing across the state. To think the School System take it seriously . I am sure there are some outliers but there are deaf flippantly continue to work with them in the department of education to make sure that training is out there and they are taking it seriously. So long those lines, again thank you for your testimony. Do you basically discuss the lack of concern the School Districts have had and you have spoken all of the country now, do you find the concern is increasing, is there still apathy in certain districts that think they will never help them. In advance, if youve had a School Shooting in your community, you know hypervigilant. Many schools dont think it will happen to them. There is no way for parents to know both of or not your school is safe. There are so many things that weekend do today that are low cost or no cost that have been implemented in florida. Just give me an example, the six largest School District in the country, we didnt even have a formal active response policy. They did not conduct a code red drill. For several years prior to the shooting. So they didnt train the teachers and they didnt train yourself what to do an emergency and god forbid, inactive shooter martin campus, what is happening and what happened there a lot of dead people. That needs to change. In florida, we have mandated, we have come to the realization that schools are not going to do the right thing. They have failed to protect our children. In florida we have mandated the schools implement drill, mandated everyone of them has to have an active response policy, they all have to train and training in a box down which is many schools are doing is just teaching the next School Shooter exactly what to go. We need to be training them and giving them option based training so that they have boats of different options god forbid something happened. Im extremely happy that weve got School Safety website coming alive, but made more schools to be able to access that information and make the school safer. There is still a lot of apathy in this country. Resistance or just apathy . Many schools for example didnt want to admit when there was heroin epidemic makes happening. Are the ratings of the school. Do you find any resistance like that. There is a culture to underreport violence on campus. Just give you an example on prior county, between 201422217, they reported zero assaults and zero threats and zero intimidation. These are all not trail and lies. We need accurate reporting of violence on campus. Bullying can lead to mass murders. We need to be able to know what is happening on our campus so that weekend help children and we can reduce violence on campus and that will make all children safe in that will make community safe. It is a cooperative effort. So it is working with Law Enforcement inside the community and inside schools. Thank you for your dedicati dedication. I yelled back. Thank you and a recognized gentleman from new york, mr. Rose. Thank you. Ms. Miss talked thank you for showing the courage to come here today. Do you think weve done enough congress . I think he wouldve done enough, we wouldnt have to be having this conversation today. Just to be frank with you. I think we did enough, i wouldnt be here. I would have lost my friend. Boats of people back in my community in florida would not have lost their children. The loved ones. I think theres much more needs to be done. I appreciate as i stated in my testimony, allowing me to be here today because its the first step. But i think there is a myriad of things that we need to work on. I said, i believe part of School Safety is implementing proactive measures that include things like done violence prevention. Something that is so often not wanted to be something that is talked about. I think we need to remember, one of the greatest things you all can do, as congressmen and women is to continue to have young people who are being affected by this be at the forefront of these conversations. Anna get a sense of what you and your friends went through this horrific prices think about us in washington dc. If parkland happened tomorrow, again. His san diego happen again tomorrow somewhere else. Do you think we would act . With regard School Safety and in control. I hope one day you will. Unfortunately, meet my people in your age and regarding losing loved ones to gun violence, if you guys dont actively do something, things will happen. People my age will continuously be traumatized by gun violence. Both of that be in regards to in school around school and violence and especially communities of color. Were going to be the legislature sitting in your seats. Were going to be the ones to overthrow this. Watch make these changes. Trying to imagine a world where School Shootings are thing that happened myself is like trying to describe the color to a blind man. This has been my normal whole live. Its unfortunate that it has. I think at sandy hook or douglas happen tomorrow, im not sure if many of congressmen and congresswoman today would do anything unless it was their own child for their own loved one. I dont think you and your friends have any recent trusses. I think i share your sentiments. I dont how much more blood has to be spilled in this country. I dont have any more children have to be afraid to go to school i dont know how many were parents at other kids before they go to school fearing theyre not going to come home. Before we do something. This is the saddest tickets. You are right it may have to come to you and your friends replacing us appear. Before we actually act. As you think about your teachers you had, do you think they are capable during another parkland discharging a weapon in your defense . I think its not their responsibility. I come from a family of teachers. I think when they went to college and school to become an educator, they werent thinking a part of the job was going to have to be a security officer. Like i stated in my testimony once before, we had an armed officer in my school. When it came to that moment of fight or fght, he went away. So the idea is that having does would solve this issue is the same idea is giving another president on the top you know what im staying. Two guns will protect the majority of people from one bad guy with the done. This is sounding like we just turn every single individual in this case every single tshirt into an armed vigilantly and no tshirt should have to be that. Also, i just cannot imagine if teachers were armed, there are not into sentences would take place. It would be them that would kill students, and i think it would just be more violence coming out of that if teachers were armed. Recognize gentleman from texas mr. Crenshaw nikki mr. Chairman, thank you everyone for being here. Mr. Schachter, thank you for being here. You are doing a great justice to your sons memory. By looking for the right solutions to this. You answered a lot of my questions because your testimony was so exact. You mentioned the National Best practices clearing in the school School Safety. Gov is a great step if you said there will be an issue of how well we get the information out to schools. Give recommendations on the best way to do that . I would like miss martinez to also answer the question. Whats the next step after one are deemed to be pretty good backstops were pretty Good Solutions already . The first thing that we are lacking is at the end of october and the website is going to go live. Theres going to be a lot of great resources on that website. Its very interactive. Schools will be able to go on their and answer a series of questions to see where they are in the process of making their school say. The website will walk you through the process it will tell you where your gaps are, where deficiencies are and it will actually direct you to grant dollars. To give you an example, one of the deficiencies we have currently is that a lot of our Grant Programs are not implementing bespractices. What i would like to see is once we have these best practices, once the website goes live by those best practices to the grand dollars. We want to make sure schools are implementing the most effective measures to make schools say. We dont want schools implementing just to some shiny object thats not really can have it a the issue is and that theres not enough grants or write grants, the issue is that we are not tying the grant money to the right basic practices. You mentioned about what are the basic measures, not the fancy bells and whistles, but the basic measures. Can you answer that as well . As far as lowcost nocost measures, for instance, just having a formal activist sale it response policy to think that the sixth largest School District in the country didnt have but im sure theres a lot of other schools around the country that dont have a simple policy and to train your teachers and staff. These are lowcost measures training our staff to lock your doors, teach with the locked door. Identifying a safer corner in the classroom that children know where to go n emergency. Its encouraging students to report violent threats. Kids know who put something on snapchat or instagram, we need to encourage them see something, Say Something. More importantly, do something with that information. One of the problems that Marjory Stoneman douglas Law Enforcement that responded did not have access to live actionable intelligence. The School District used for both to not share cameras with Law Enforcement so when they came on scene they didnt know where the shooter was it took them 11 minutes to get into the first floor and 40 minutes to get to the third floor to administer medical attention to the 10 kids that were shot and dying on the third floor. As far as getting the word out we need to work with every state School Safety center to get that information out and populated as broadly as possible. We have one of those right here. Miss martinez, could you expand on that and tell us about the threat behavioral assessments that texas uses. Is there metrics to any successes there we can speak of . Regarding the federal clearinghouse whats great about that is it to enter agency effort. Often times from a state perspective your multiple agencies working on this effort in good faith. Saying different things. That confuses School District. Our role at the state level is to bring all that together synthesize it, incorporate texas consideration because we have a pretty comprehensive mandates for schools to follow. In push that back out to School Districts. I think its great all the agencies are working together on this effort i think its going to help with clear lines of communication and guidance. As far as texas really took a page from the state of virginia in passing its behavioral threat assessment legislation this session with this idea of prevention needing to have a focus. As part of that comprehensive peace in the center we focus on mitigation prevention primarily. The idea here is we are creating a culture of Situational Awareness where Students Trust adults they know they can go to somebody they know they are not snitching on another po because we know they have that intel they have the information to share and most often times they dont for various reasons. Knowing that they are able to report the information. We always stress is not intended to be a means of engaging exclusionary discipline. In texas there are going to be several pieces of data that will have to be collected in which our state Education Agency will be overseeing in terms of who is on the Behavioral Threat Assessment Team because the big focus is it has to be multidisciplinary. Its not just the School Principal its not just the school counselor. You have your campus administration, Law Enforcement officer, Mental Health professional, teacher, depending on the situation its fluid you might bring in a member that has close relationship with the student. The idea is that it captures pretty incident indicators or alarming behaviors that might not just be leading to an act of violence. Could be a student threatening harm to themselves. Might be behaviors of change that show there might be Substance Abuse problem. Maybe trauma experience at home. Please wrap up your answer please. Im sorry . Its a long answer but thats where texas is going in terms of its threat assessment. My time is up, thank you all for being here. Sorry i didnt get to everyone. It takes a lot of guts for you to be here. Thank you very much. Next we will recognize the gentle lady from illinois ms. Underwood. Thank you mr. Chairman, children should be free to live their lives to go to School Without the fear of gun violence. Unfortunately this is not a reality for the 58 Million Students who are in their first weeks of a new school year. Just this tuesday students from portland Elementary School participated in the first active Shooter Drill of the year this is one of the many active Shooter Drills and training students and teachers should well produce beta this year to prepare for a day we all hope will never come. Mr. Schachter, thank you so much for being here to honor your son and protect communities around the country. Ms. Hogg, thank you so much for joining us here today and hearing your experience. Thank you for your leadership. You your brother, and your fellow advocates are incredible inspiration to me. I also applaud much of our lives peace plan for safer america. Which makes the number of recommendations to help ensure our communities are safe from gun violence when i reviewed your plan i was especially glad to see that it includes expanding background checks and dedicating annual funding for Gun Violence Prevention Research proposals im proud house has passed this year. These are just the first in a series of necessary steps. Though ms. Hogg in your testimony you encourage investments in Mental Health resource in schools. Can you tell us more about why these investments are so important to students like you . Thank you for that. I feel hyped up. Im going to reiterate somethings i said before. We need nonaggressive pro action measures because when we put in these measures by that i mean security measures not Mental Health measures. Its almost as if us students are being punished for the way the world to protect. Punishment to protect is something thats been shown to be ineffective. Additionally, we must not be suffocated by School Security measures and by having mental trained Mental Health professionals there i think its helping. I think that decreasing the amount of suffocation that these inquiries of security measures are causing. I think when it comes to School Security specifically Mental Health professionals can help us deal with the increase of security due to the ways of the world by the lack of action around gun violence prevention. I think specific Mental Health counselors not just Guidance Counselors they dont tell you the amount of time before the shooting happened on my school. I went to my guidance counselor and the ratio of guidance counselor to student number is something that is outrageous to me. I didnt do the math until after and at a school like Marjory Stoneman douglas with a akids there were four or five Guidance Counselors. My guidance counselor did not know my name until after the shooting when i went to her to ask for help. And i had to schedule toward the end of the week because she was busy because it was when spring was and she was trying to get kids into college. Mental Health Professionals has helped me so much. Even then, i had some difficulty with the Mental Health professionals that were put in place at my school. As a reactive measure after the shooting that occurred. We have to ensure that especially if its aimed at the host of a School Shooting you see people are trauma trained. Because if you put a guidance counselor who spends the majority of their time doing academic counseling, into a situation where kids have watched their friends be murdered and bleed out on the floor next to them it doesnt work. Trying to get a get into college and trying to explain to their kid why they saw something thats impossible. Thank you. After the conversation around keeping our school safe has to include a discussion on how we can ensure students feel safe. Last year the Washington Post had an analysis which found that 187,000 school roots had been exposed to gun violence. Can you talk a little bit in briefly about the longterm challenges you and your classmates face in the aftermath of the shooting. We touched on the trauma but anything else you want to share with the committee to dave . Additionally when it comes to what you guys can do to help in aiding in trauma the first thing you can do is to address gun violence and take action on that. For my trauma i know many other of my friends and victims of gun violence every week when another shooting happens and we see it on the news whether a mass shooting or local shooting in a community nearby we are retraumatized. And feeling were back in the moment we went to a shooting of ourselves and those stages of grief restart every single week. Every single week, sorry, every week i watch cbs sunday morning and they usually address School Shootings when they happen. Every single sunday for a long time its been a Family Tradition of mine since i was five years old. I had to stop watching it because i would hear the stories of the people that went to the School Shootings every sunday and i would not do it because i would be ready to go to school mentally the next day. As a nurse i know its not uncommon for people who have lived through School Shootings to experience posttraumatic stress and other trauma. This is especially true for children and we are going to work to address it. Thank you mr. Chairman. I have experience with School Shootings and the problem shooter i had the opportunity to be involved in the investigations and preparing a case for trial one of the first School Shootings in the country to conceal a rifle and overcoat entered Pearl High School where he then opened fire on multiple students killing christina menisci and lydia do and injuring seven other students. I also wonder about the Mental Health aspect, he also had Mental Health issues and attempted trial to claim the jury said find him not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury rejected that claim and even though the jury found that he did suffer from Mental Illness that meant ill illness did not raise to a level he should not be held as possible for his actions. Luke went on the days currently serving three life sentences 104 years. One of the actions on that day was an action by one of the School Administrators. The School Administrator who was there in school and the School Administrator heard gunfire he immediately went to his vehicle obtained his firearm and was able to apprehend luke warner before he left the campus that day. I will tell you from my investigation and my working with Law Enforcement we believe and are very confident that his actions that day saved additional lives because of his prompt response because additional rounds of ammunition luke would have continued this rampage if he would not have been apprehended very quickly. I am aware that in response to parkland that recently earlier this year the legislature in florida passed a law which was signed by the governor that would allow School Officials in florida to be armed. It expands with a call in florida the guardian probe. That program does set for stipulations. The stipulations include one that the School District must approve the measures so therefore schools are not required to do that but have the option to opt in. Teachers must volunteer for the program. No one is required to produce a paper teachers have the opportunity to volunteer. The must undergo background checks they must be psychiatric evaluations. And there also must be specific training by Law Enforcement to make sure teachers are trained. So my question to you is, do you believe that the response by the Florida Legislature in allowing School Districts to opt into a system matter just refer to do believe that should be part of this discussion that we are having as it relates to School Violence in School Shootings . Let me start by saying this is an incredibly complex issue the School Safety in general. I think thats clear from testimony. As part of what we are trying to do in new jersey and thats the only thing i can answer to is the new jersey aspect. We are looking at every solution out there whether the gun violence prevention, whether measures like Arming Teachers, we are looking at everything. The very first steps, i think mr. Crenshaw asked a question about the next steps we take, it has to be about the initial training. Since, no plans First Contacted Something Like cia for most my career. No plan survives First Contact we have to have a plan in place. One great example is you could have the best swat team in the world on standby in the east wing of the school like Stoneman Douglas add if somebody lets him in the back door on another wing, people are going to die and its an unfortunate consequence. We have to talk about locking the doors. Teaching kids not to open the doors. While we looked at those, we really want to make sure the fundamental foundational aspects are in place first and foremost and then we get to that. And i would agree with you. Our First Mission should be that our children when we put them on the bus or parents drop them off at schools that even before those children returned safely to their families. I work with Law Enforcement and other groups to try to make our school say. First and foremost, we want to be able to prevent anyone from going off to the school to accomplish any act of violence. I understand that. There are multiple programs we are talking about prevention. But in the case where someone does enter onto the School Grounds and there is an active shooter situation, do you believe that laws such as those passed in florida should those be things we are also talking about. Should i be part of the discussion the overall global discussion on how we are going to protect our children . I have a sophomore in high school. Every day when he goes to school, im confident hes going to return but i know just as you talk about as well, we always say its not going to happen in our community. That can happen somewhere else. Thats not to happen in my school. Ive seen firsthand it happened in my community i know about it and so my question is, once we get past the things we are going to try to do to prevent, is army teachers should that be something we should consider as last resort to make sure we can stop the shooting as quickly as possible . To simply sum up as part of looking at addressing everything i think we should have a conversation about everything. Whatever we can do to support and protect our students but recognizing that things like training things like real world pulling the trigger is a very difficult to do. I can sure that somebody is prepared to do that and i think ms. Hogg summed it up teachers are there to teach. It can be a big challenge for them to adopt the mindset that annette protect her in a way like that within a weapon. As a last measure at the end of that conversation once you get the fundamentals i think we should have that conversation very carefully because there are a lot of challenges associated with it. Gentleman from louisiana is recognized. Let me thank you mr. Chairman for convening this hearing today on a very complex but serious matter. I would just respond to my colleague mr. Gaps that we are abi know the conversation about Arming Teachers, coached High High School baseball. Mr. Schachter mentioned interoperability and the ability to communicate. In my life experience, i would have grave concern as a baseball coach if there was an active shooter situation about what happens if i have a gun and do the perpetrator has gone and the Police Officers get there and have to decide whos the good guy and whos the bad guy. In my experience, most times people, especially police, assume im the bad guy. That would worry me. I dont get something that we can have a conversation about and i think interoperability is important. We would do that if the Hurricane Katrina involving 1500 people we could not talk to each other and the fact that when these incidents occur you cant talk to each other its very scary. That part of the conversation is really about limiting carnage. I want us to focus on preventing it in the first place. We had that conversation i think are small steps we can take such as universal background checks. Limiting the size of ammunition magazines, if we are talking about limiting carnage. My question for you ms. Hogg will be do think students are ready for a see something Say Something approach which has made this country safer in airports and terrorism and the question would be do you think our students are ready for an approach like see something Say Something . First of all, thank you for that question i think its really important in this conversation. I can speak on behalf of myself but not every student. For myself how i personally feel about the whole idea of is that although its important, although it can prevent major things like what happened at my school, it puts a certain pressure on the student as though its our responsibility to take care of these things. And after something happens like what happened at my school, often times i feel as though students felt as though they were being the ones being accountable for the government and Police Officers in action at my school. As much as i think its important, and i think its a good way, a good noninvasive way of venting these things from happening, i genuinely do not think its drastic enough and additionally much like what happened with increased security at places like airports and everywhere else come after everything that happened, in september 2001. I think we need to acknowledge there are always when you have that situation, see something, Say Something, theres three personal biases that are injected into the minds and souls of individuals who are being the ones who are supposed to be seeing something and saying something. I think we could do a lot of danger with regards to whether that be students seeing something, saying something, or a student with their personal racial bias or personal ideological bias. I think something thats complex and something this drastic i think we need belt and suspenders type approach. Whether that is more schools counselors, schools would also have an obligation to see something, Say Something when theres a concern. I look at it how we fight terrorism in this country we do it with we do it with intelligence and information gathering. I think at some point unfortunately well have that responsibility and we would hope people dont bring in their personal bias but its america. We are humans and i think its a problem. As much as we can prepare for the active shooter situation, what we really want is to prevent it. I would just tell you as a parent to drop the kid off to kindergarten every day that impossible, and very fearful that he doesnt go home and about his School Uniforms this year and mr. Schachter im sure youve had to go through this especially because you have other children, had to make a decision to the square that goes in the back so i can teach him to hide behind it in case of an active suitor situation. Parents should have to be doing that. When i was in high school our drills consisted of stop, drop, roll. Now the drills our children are going through our run, hide, fight. The real thing is as we as americans also had to accept our responsibility as adults to the divide, to the hate, to the bullying and all the other things adding to this because if its not in a school then it will be in a church my like mother emanuel, if its not in the church it will be tree of life synagogue if its not there will be a Safeway Store were our colleague Gabby Giffords was shot. Its not at a Grocery Store it will be on a baseball field where colleague Steve Scalise was shot. We have to protect our most vulnerable which is our children. We have to do a better job as americans of leading loving and showing the leadership to prevent it. I think you all did your part today by being here and i think Congress Needs to do our part by an act in those reasonable measures that can stop these things before they start. Thank you for being here. Elected and gentlemen its unfortunate that this year one of the highest selling products in new jersey for going back to school were bulletproof bookbags. I now recognize the gentle lady from new york, ms. Clark. Thank you very much mr. Chairman. I think our panelists were really lending your expertise and your common sense concerns to todays discussion. Columbine, virginia tech, sandy hook, aparkland, each time our nation experiences another School Shooting we send out our thoughts and prayers. Thoughts and prayers dont stop bullets. 20 years have passed since columbine but School Shootings have become only more and more common. We need to take action, we must take action. We need to and must confront tackle in and the gun violence epidemic once and for all. Ms. Hogg, i want to get from you how your daily life has changed since that shooting. When i was preparing for my testimony today and we were discussing this i realize that pretty much everything in my life has changed. I think one of the greatest changes was the loss, not necessarily the physical loss of people like my brother and other victims and my friends that went to the School Shooting alongside me but the loss of our past selves, the loss of ourselves who are innocent and believed like mr. Schachter said so eloquently today that we believe this would never happen to us. I did go through specifics but it would take me probably days. Every single aspect of my life has changed it seems as though like i stated before, i was 14 when i experienced a School Shooting. Thats the age when kids are kind of ready to have that John Hughes High School experience. For me i went directly from it seems i had to go from childhood to adulthood and skip that period of my life that most people have the chance to experience where they get to be a teenager. They get to be a child. I think about this every single day my goal for this year was to learn how to be a teenager and thats something that no child who is 16 should have to experience. The fact that im even here today the fact that i spend my weekends on the hill when i can, talking with my policymakers, everything has changed. I really just hope that no other child has to have this experience of losing those precious teenage years where they get the chance to have to be stupid in a sense. To have fun. I think thats one of the greatest ways my life has been affected. Thank you for sharing that with us. Miss maple when you testified in front of the subcommittee last year, the horrific shootings in parkland florida, santa fe texas, they were still recent in many states were just in the beginning phases of instituting policies to improve School Safety. In some cases gun control measures. Can you tell the committee of any challenges you had while instituting new School Security measures. Are there any Lessons Learned you think its important for other states to know . I will start by addressing the challenges please. Some of the challenges has been making sure the School Districts are all getting the relevant information in a coordinated way. We continue to work on that and that is something we are able to do at the state level in new jersey. The implementation of the see something, Say Something, mr. Richman just brought up that piece in new jersey we are doing that. We roll that into an attorney generals directive that all suspicious activity that schools related threats are rolled into our see something, Say Something campaign. New jersey is a little different than other states. My office coordinates everything from the federal state to local level the bureau, fbi, they get their leads from my folks at one have location or fusion center. I would tell you getting School District abor directly to us. That is a challenge but something we are really focused on getting the public messaging out there my staff is constantly engaging with the schools and one of the great benefits we have in new jersey is department of education and commissioner is essentially loaned us his School Safety team. They actually report to me with their education employees. We are trying to really coalesce around that one common goal protecting our schools together in that way. The challenges of joining any type of Homeland Security and education linking up the way we do but we do when we are really focused on that. We appreciate that mr. Maple. Let me close by saying that having been a victim myself watching my colleague getting gunned down in the new york city council, that trauma never leaves you. Miss hogg i think you for your courage. The trauma goes beyond what anyone could imagine when you are in a space, you are a survivor, there is so many other dynamics. I can relate to all that you shared with us today because im still recovering to this very day. I yield back mr. Chairman. Thank you gentle lady. The gentleman from texas mr. Green is recognized. Thank you mr. Chairman. I think the Ranking Members as well. I apologize for the condition that we find ourselves in. I say i apologize because, we have failed you. The adults have failed you. We shouldnt have allowed unlimited assault weapons on the streets. Capable of killing scores in seconds. We failed you. And we ought to do something about it. We dont have the will, we lost our way. We failed you. We are at a point regrettably in our history where we have to prepare for the unthinkable to deal with the inconceivable. Thats where we are. Gone are the days when children had to have as a part of their exercise, a fire drill. An active Shooter Drill now. Gone are the days when there is a rumor of a person having an knife on campus on my school and the principal just stopped everything brought us all into the auditorium and had a meeting. Who has the knife . Now we have assault weapons. On campuses. We have to deal with the inconceivable. I have to ask you about something that i regrettably must ask about, i think we have to prepare for this unthinkable inconceivable event. That would be whether or not we are ready to deal with a chemical or biological event. We cant wait, we have to prepare for the unthinkable if we are going to deal with the inconceivable. I asked as gently as i can, are we adequately prepared for an attack of this kind on a School Campus where it should never happen . Where would be inconceivable or are we having any drills any information intelligence for students so that they can deal with these things . Do we have proper equipment available. Where are we . If we are not there then perhaps the adults walk fail us as we go forward. Im one of the adults. Would someone care to answer please . Obviously we are extremely unprepared. Broward county doesnt even have an active shooter policy let alone a policy to protect us from a chemical or biological attack. We are just trying to get teachers to feature the locked door. We are so far from where we need to be but we can prevent 80 to 90 of these attacks. Weve got the Gold Standard in anonymous reporting at evolved in colorado called safe to tell. They stopped thousands of young people from committing suicide, suicide is the homicide issue if we can stop suicide we can stop homicide and stop hundreds of School Shootings. Post parkland weve had dozens of states implement those anonymous reporting apps. Every day we hear in the news about Mass Shootings that are stopped by courageous people that are sending in tips and kids do it. We can stop a lot of these as we were talking about in the prevention side but we have to prepare we cant stop 100 of these we have to be cognizant of that and so thats why, what are we going to do we need to decide what are we going to do if the guy with the gun walks in that School Campus. How are we going to save lives. I could not agree with you more. I regret that we find ourselves being reactive when we have a great opportunity to be proactive and deal with these issues such that we wouldnt have to deal with the unthinkable. But there is a future and we still have the opportunity to change this circumstance if we but only will acquire the courage and the will. I yield back belts of my time. Thank you joan on. Id like to recognize the gentle lady from texas miss jackson lee. I want to ask whether the chairman and gentleman from florida wants to go and i will go after him. I just wanted to offer it to you. Mr. Chairman, thank you into the Ranking Member for this very vital hearing. I think the witnesses, we are sometimes in overlapping hearings and we have to make our way to an important hearing. Let me acknowledge in particular a dad who lost his son. Your face is familiar. I know that you wish it was not. And i think you for putting your energy in a place where those of us who are parents would never want to imagine. I think this committee is wellsuited in this house in this present leadership with the members of this committee congressman deutsche repaired to listen and to adhere to some of the things we can do. We dont want to call the role but i think you know why didnt it stop at sandy hook . Why was it something done . We tried very hard. I want to first start with lauren, we work a lot in houston with march for our lives. I like the word marks because we follow but i know its important that we act. Let me ask you this question because i have talked to teenagers who like you have to learn to be a teenager. What is it like with your peers to have to live with the idea of death . Death of your fellow students . Death at a school . What should we do about that as you are going up . For myself because i was 14 years old when this happened as i stated previously, i think thats a pivotal time in your life. All of the four High School Years are pivotal time in your life. Its what a lot of your Brain Development occurs its when youre supposed to learn a lot of things at school. When you have something with the School Shooting when you have Something Like you are friends and teachers being murdered in your classroom next to you i think theres something drastic that happens within yourself. I think its important to address that within regards to trauma, to gun violence. Its hard to heal with the issue continues every single day. Its kind of like rubbing salt into the wound thats our trauma. The previous question earlier that i was asked when it was, how has your life changed every single day . I think just every single aspect like when i go to a restaurant have to sit with my back not against the door because i will feel like somebody will come in. When i go to a Movie Theater have to always make sure i know where the exits are and know if i can be close enough to run out in time. Even in crowded spaces places i used to go and love to go to whether that be disneyland or a concert, i cant go there without being scared. That something is gonna happen. Even the things that would be traditionally viewed as fun and an escape turn into themselves an active trauma where you dont know what to do and you dont know how to act. Thank you. Thank you. Let me ask alex further, a meeting of you combined answer, you obviously can hear that from alex, for us to do something along with like what weve heard from the experts. In terms of making a school solid. In doing this comprehensively, we have to deal with guns, and this is my question, Mental Health, added resources for those students we miss. Ive been working for many years on antibullying which is accelerated, Cyber Bullying and otherwise. In a positive way of reinforcing schools. We could respond to that in the context of your organization and your group. Mental health and antibullying guns and the idea of how we strengthen a school to protect its most precious inhabitants. Im on the commission thats investigating the Marjory Stoneman douglas tragedy and we had a presentation by legler high school which developed a culture and Climate Survey that they give the tribute to all of their students and its made their school say. I think that sets a deficiency in our schools that we are not doing Culture Climate surveys of our students and our teachers because to reduce violence on campus reduce bullying if we dont know whats happening on campus, we cant fix it. I alluded in my presentation and questions that we dont know schools under report violence on campus. We need to get an act reporting in florida. We have put measures in place to the commissioner of education to financially penalize superintendents we need to get that under control and we need to find out whats happening first so we can tackle this bullying problem and we can provide better Mental Health to our students and reduce violence on campus which will reduce violence in our community because you for not giving kids in school the tools to deal with rejection and failure as they get older we have horrible consequences. Let me thank you and the experts as well my time is expired. Let me say to the chairman using the experts using the passion of our two witnesses who have experienced firsthand can help us be guided in the right direction for working on this very crucial issue. I would like to thank the gentle lady and i recognize the patient gentleman from florida mr. Deutsch. Thank you very much mr. Chairman. Thank you to you and the Ranking Member for calling the hearing. Im grateful to you and your staff for including two of my constituents as witnesses and extending invitation to me as your guest. I also want to express my gratitude to the thoughtful and dedicated participation of so many members of this committee today. Thanks to the witnesses all of you for your testimony and your hard work to make student safer. First i would like to seek unanimous consent to enter statement from the record tony might also surviving farm aba group formed by parents of Stoneman Douglas, if i may. Without objection. These families have very applicable views but they right when it comes to protecting our children and staff at school we all agree on three key outcomes secure the School Campus, implement better Mental Health programs and practice firearms. Mr. Schachter, ms. Hogg, i feel so fortunate to know you and proud to represent you and and utterly heartbroken by the circumstances that have brought us together. You are survivors of this horrible crisis of gun violence in america, mr. Schachter, you lost your beloved alex, ms. Hogg he lost friends and teachers. ab you turned your pain into action mr. Schachter you been a fierce advocate for expanding the level of expertise in School Districts and states to improve policies you become an expert in security infrastructure i knew from the first moment i spoke with you that within a short period of time you would be a National Leader on keeping our schools safe. Want to ask you the eagle that hr 3714 will expand the National Threat Assessment Center by doing that, what can i do to help ensure that schools have the expertise to keep their students and staff safe. Thank you congressman and thank you for everything youve done to protect our children youve been a great champion of that as far as the eagle back goes i talked about this in my Opening Statement and a strong supporter i hope that we can get the full Committee Support and pass this. Its great legislation. We know that the assessment teams that the secret service has developed protect the president and protect congress and this is a major problem in school. We know the threat assessments were split in needs to be done correctly. There was a threat assessment done in the murder in 2016 that was completely botched. The problem was the assistant principal who did the threat assessment had no idea how to perform one he had never conducted a threat assessment and his 30 year history. He didnt know where the paperwork was and it was completely done wrong. I feel that if it was done correctly my little boy might be still alive today so bypassing the eagle back we get education to all schools and proper threat assessment to prevent these acts of targeted violence before they happen and we got to stop being reactionary and be proactive and thats with threat assessments do. Ms. Hyde thanks for your leadership in the school and thank you for your really powerful testimony today. Communitybased intervention programs as we talked about today earlier when we are talking about proactive measures are a perfect example of this. They go in before these things happen. As i stated previously. Its so important for us when we created this to include that because weve seen across the country and especially communities of color and lower socioeconomic communities how effective these are in preventing Community Gun violence. I have so many examples of individuals and stats about stuff that are really within regards to the programs but the greatest examples is life campus out of the bronx funded by this woman called erika ford. They have violence and dictors that go in and train the youth from the community how to be violence interrupters instead of insiders of this violence and how to keep out of the violence. I think what we could apply that to her School System in our country i cannot even imagine the great effect he would see. In preventing things like what happened at our school. Mr. Chairman, i want to thank you again its so clear from the testimony today from the expertise on this panel from the dedication of all four of our panelists that there is more we can do in a bipartisan way to help strengthen and bolster the efforts of our witnesses and people just like them all around the country to help keep our school safe and help keep kids safe and prevent the trauma that weve heard so eloquently spoke about. We can do this and im so grateful for your leadership on this issue i look forward to working with you. You are extending an invitation for me to join you today is something i will forever be grateful. Thank you gentlemen for accepting the invitation and they are very fortunate to have you as a representative in congress. I know the work that you do tirelessly for your constituents and you have been proactive on these issues so i just thought it would fare you have the opportunity today to be here. Thank you. We are going to go for a quick second round i just wanted to ask mr. Maples as i mentioned in my Opening Statement dhs along with other agencies are working on the clearinghouse that will compile best practices for various School Safety practices. Can you describe what you want to see out of the clearinghouse to make useful for new jersey . Absolutely. One of my roles in addition to being the director of Homeland Security most of the federally designated Homeland Security advisor. Which is dhs designation. We work handinhand with federal dhs on a wide variety of issues we confronted the state of new jersey. A lead in to say that from a clearinghouse perspective we absolutely welcome that i think in a place for structure directed and concise plan the best practices themselves can really help us full circle to what we try to do at the state level. We do a walk proactively new jersey but having the interface and to be able to point that back to someone from the federal government can be very powerful and talking to a super intendant across our 21 counties. To the degree they are the clearinghouse is coming online we welcome it. I think it will continue to help make our schools safe. Let me just i want to keep people much longer but i just want to thank all the witnesses for their testimony today this has been an honor for me to chair this hearing and hear from all of you. All with different experiences on this one very important subject. Mr. Schachter you brought up interoperability which has been my main focus since 2012 arriving here on this committee the author of the interoperability bill for dhs and the issues around School Safety has been my main threat so thank you all for being here today for your expert testimony and with that i will ab there is something i have to do here. Okay. Now that we have finished with our questions, i would like to ask unanimous consent to enter into official record written testimony from the National Association of School Resource officers every town for gun safety Sandy Hook Promise National Association of School Psychologists the naacp and Legal Defense fund and materials from the American Institute of architects without objection is ordered . I want to think the witnesses for their valuable testimony today and the members for their questions. The members of the subcommittee might have additional questions for the witnesses and we ask that you respond expeditiously in writing for those questions. Pursuant to the Committee Rule 7d the hearing record will be away for 10 days. Without objection with no further business the subcommittee stands adjourned. Thank you. 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Org,nline at or listen live on the free cspan radio app. Next, education secretary betsy devos on her School Choice , a proposal pending in congress. The secretary was joined by kellyanne conway. From the American Enterprise institute, this is one hour. Good morning, and welcome to ei good morning, everybody, and welcome to. I am so pleased to have you all here for this important discussion of education policy in the united states. We are particularly gratified and happy to have the secretary