Blog Archives

How Congress and the Biden Administration can restore meaningful programs to strengthen school safety, security, and emergency preparedness

Posted by on June 12, 2022

Congress and the Biden Administration do not need to reinvent the wheel to improve safety in America’s PreK-12 schools.  They need only do some homework to find multiple meaningful federal programs created in a bipartisan effort by Congress and the Clinton Administration following the 1999 school shooting attacks at Columbine High School that resulted in […]

How President Trump can “Make federal school safety policy great again”: Advice from Ken Trump to President Donald Trump

Posted by on January 20, 2017

President Donald J. Trump takes office today as the 45th President of the United States.  As he and his nominated Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, begin working to “Make America Great Again,” they also have the opportunity to “Make Federal School Safety Policy Great Again.” Obama, Congress eliminated critical school safety programs prior to the […]

Hijacking school safety: Politicians, gun control, NRA, & civil rights activists show no shame

Posted by on March 28, 2013

Gun control activists, the National Rifle Association (NRA), civil rights special interest groups, and politicians have hijacked school safety to advance their own political agendas. Meanwhile, little is being done to help principals, teachers, and first responders improve school security on the front lines in education. A closer look reveals individuals and organizations with little-to-no […]

Congress & School Boards Beef Up Their Security, But Not For Kids

Posted by on January 13, 2011

Shoot a kid in school, and school safety budgets get cut.  But when the shooting is at school board members or elected officials, one of the first discussions is the need for greater security measures. I have watched closely the reactions to December’s shooting at school board members in a Florida school district and now […]

Congress, The Nation’s Biggest Bullies: Fix Your Own Incivility

Posted by on November 28, 2010

“Search for civility grows in Washington after midterms,” a recent U.S.A. Today headline reads.  On the surface, the article appropriately details the polarized, hostile, and personally-attacking nature of today’s D.C. politics.  But having testified four times to Congress on school safety, and getting a closer view of the behind-the-scenes nature of American politics, I particularly […]

My Congressional Testimony vs. Stephen Colbert’s Performance

Posted by on September 27, 2010

Legislation, sausage, and the news are three things you never want to see being made.  Of the three, I think legislation is the ugliest with the least predictable (and sometimes least meaningful) outcome. I have had the opportunity to testify on school safety issues four times before our nation’s Congress: House Education and Labor Committee […]