U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH) led a 14-member Ohio congressional delegation in bipartisan support of the state’s recent applications seeking federal funding for statewide youth violence prevention programming.
“Every year, there are thousands of acts of youth violence in our schools. Our students, educators, and law enforcement need the necessary tools and support to keep our schools safe,” wrote Rep. Stivers and his Ohio colleagues in a July 26 letter sent to Jon Adler, director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Among those signing the letter, which specifically supports Ohio’s grant applications under the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act Program, were Republican U.S. Reps. Brad Wenstrup, Mike Turner, Dave Joyce and Jim Renacci. U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty is the lead Democrat who signed the letter.
Specifically, the lawmakers wrote that they intended for such school safety tools to be funded under the STOP School Violence Act of 2018, H.R. 4909, rather than by federal short-term measures. H.R. 4909 would reauthorize through fiscal year 2028 the Secure Our Schools grant program, which provides grants to states, local governments and Indian tribes to improve security, including the placement and use of metal detectors and other deterrent measures, at schools and on school grounds, according to the congressional record summary.
H.R. 4909, which has 100 cosponsors, received U.S. House approval on March 14 by a 407-10 vote, and is under consideration now by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
The lawmakers noted in their letter that since 2000, acts of school violence in Cleveland, Willoughby, Chardon, Middletown, Columbus, and West Liberty have impacted other communities around the state of Ohio. “The funding received by Ohio under this grant application would help ensure that Ohio does not have to experience another one of these tragedies,” wrote the congressmen.
Rep. Stivers said he’s hopeful that the Bureau of Justice Assistance will fully consider Ohio’s application and that the state “will receive funding to implement important school safety programs.”
“As a father, I want to ensure the safety of all of our kids as we send them off to school, and I was proud to be a supporter and cosponsor of the STOP School Violence Act when it was considered in March,” Rep. Stivers said in a statement. “These grants would provide critical support for students, educators and local law enforcement in Ohio to keep our kids safe.”
Rep. Beatty added that members of Congress “owe it to every student, in every classroom across America, to do everything in our power to minimize the threat of gun violence.”