Lampitt Statement on Betsy DeVos Considering Federal Funds to Put Guns in Schools

            (TRENTON) – Assembly Education Committee Chair Pamela Lampitt (D-Camden/Burlington) on Thursday issued the following statement concerning reports that U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is considering allowing states to use federal grant money to buy guns for schools.

            According to media reports, the department is weighing whether states are allowed to use money available through Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants to buy firearms. Unlike other federal grants, this particular grant does not specifically prohibit such purchases.

“After the horrific events in Parkland earlier this year, the Assembly and Senate Education Committees moved to learn what more we could do to improve school security in our state. After hearing hours of testimony from students, administrators, parents, members of law enforcement, and other community members, we identified many strategies to make our students safer. Throughout this process, not one person offered the suggestion of arming teachers. Students should always feel safe in their learning environments, and I truly believe that arming teachers would fly in the face of everything we learned throughout these hearings.”