The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU), the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization – applauds the US House for passing on Wednesday the bipartisan STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (H.R. 4909).
The Act passed in a 407-10 vote.
The legislation, whose lead sponsors in the House are Reps. John Rutherford (R-Fl.) and Ted Deutch (D-Fl.), and in the Senate Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) authorizes federal funding to increase safety and security at all K-12 schools. It comes in the wake of last month’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fl. that left 17 students and educators dead.
Following the Parkland attack, the Orthodox Union (OU) called for increasing and expanding school security funding programs to enhance safety at all K-12 schools — public, nonpublic and religious.
OU President Mark (Moshe) Bane stated: “Unfortunately, our community is well-acquainted with the need to protect children while they are at school and ensure they feel secure while they grow and learn. The STOP School Violence Act offers concrete steps to safeguard children against such tragedies. We commend the US House for its overwhelming approval of this legislation, and we urge the Senate to pass it without delay.”
OU Advocacy Center Executive Director Nathan Diament stated: “There is nothing more important than making sure children are safe wherever they are, but especially at school. That is why OU Advocacy has worked for many years at the federal level and in several states to propose and implement school security funding programs. The STOP School Violence Act has our strong support, and we appreciate Senators Hatch and Klobuchar, and Representatives Rutherford and Deutch for working with us to ensure the legislation is crafted to make important school safety grants available to keep all American schools safe.”