Federal Flash: DeVos’s Gun Plan
The Senate passed its education spending bill this week, but the biggest debate wasn’t over whether low-income students should receive more funding. It was whether Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will allow school districts to buy guns with school safety money. The New York Times reported that Secretary DeVos is considering allowing school districts to purchase guns and train teachers on how to use them using funds from the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program, often referred to as Title IV. Created under the Every Student Succeeds Act, Title IV provides districts with flexible funds that they can use to meet local needs. At least 20 percent of the funds from this program must be used to support safe and healthy school environments, 20 percent to support a well-rounded education, and some used to increase access to personalized learning supported by technology. In response to the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Congress gave this program $1.1 billion, a $700 million increase over the prior year. The funds were supposed to be used for things like school-based mental health services and professional development on crisis management. Now, instead of using the funds to keep students safe, it appears the Department may let the funds be used to train teachers to shoot guns. Opponents of this move were quick to respond. The Alliance for Excellent Education joined twenty other organizations ranging from the National PTA to Girl Scouts of the USA in denouncing the move, […]
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