Washington, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington), the only N.C. member of the Homeland Security Committee, today announced that he will introduce a comprehensive bill to improve federal efforts to help schools with their security needs.
The legislation follows a multi-year effort to gather information from N.C. stakeholders about their school security needs.
“Homeland security begins with hometown security, and federal support for local emergency preparedness and response makes our entire nation more secure,” said Etheridge. “Children spend the majority of their daylight hours in school, but schools are often overlooked when considering emergency preparedness and first responder needs. Given recent events at schools across the country, we as a nation simply must invest in emergency planning to ensure our children have safe and secure places to learn.”
The Schools Empowered to Respond Act will provide increased federal guidance and access to resources to schools in developing and implementing their emergency response and preparedness plans. It will create a one-stop shop within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate the department’s school security efforts and provide best practices for schools. The bill will give schools more access to federal funds and provide educators with an increased voice in state and local grant decisions.
Etheridge crafted the legislation in response to the results of a survey of principals and superintendents in North Carolina’s Second Congressional District that found that although schools have emergency plans, they would like more assistance and direction from the federal government. The survey was followed by a nationwide Government Accountability Office study requested by Etheridge that reached similar conclusions. The full reports can be found at www.gao.gov and www.house.gov.
The legislation has the support of House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson. It does not create any new requirements or mandates for schools, but instead seeks to provide schools with more support for their security measures. As the former Superintendent of North Carolina’s schools, Etheridge has made school security his top priority on the Homeland Security Committee.
Schools Empowered to Respond Act of 2008
The problem:
According to a 2007 nationwide Government Accountability Office Study:
* 62 percent of school districts lack equipment, training and experienced personnel for emergency management needs.
* 70 percent struggle to balance priorities related to educating students with emergency management needs.
* 50 percent of schools do not update their plans annually and 10 percent have never updated their plans.
* Half of the officials in the 27 school districts GAO visited reported difficulty in ensuring that parents received consistent information from the district during an emergency.
The Schools Empowered to Respond Act of 2008:
* Creates the Office for School Preparedness and Response within the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that school preparedness and the needs of children are considered throughout DHS planning processes. The office will coordinate with other federal agencies regarding support and planning for school preparedness, and will provide resources to give schools guidance and best practices for school preparedness with the Director of School Preparedness and Response as the primary point person for school security.
* Ensures that schools are not overlooked as entities that need grant support for emergency preparedness by specifically stating that schools are eligible to receive DHS block grants.
* Enhances the ability of school officials, school resource officers and school emergency planning experts to contribute to emergency planning at the federal, state and local level.
* Increases coordination between schools and federal, state and local governments.
* Encourages state and local governments to include schools in making homeland security plans and grant decisions.