House Republicans Unveil School Violence Initiative; Tougher Weapon Penalties, Mandatory Reporting Among Bills.HARRISBURG, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 21, 1998--Responding forcefully to growing concerns over the safety of Pennsylvania's classrooms, House Republicans Monday unveiled a 14-bill package designed to toughen penalties for illegally bringing weapons onto school property and improve school district and law enforcement agencies' readiness to prevent violent incidents. The legislative initiative was released during a series of five news conferences held across the Commonwealth. More than two dozen members of the House Republican Caucus participated in news conferences in Dormont, Allegheny County, East Springfield, Erie County Erie County is the name of several counties in the United States:
"How can we expect children to concentrate on learning when they have to worry about getting assaulted in the classroom or robbed in the school hallway," said House Majority Leader John M. Perzel John Michael "Jay" Perzel (born January 7 1950) is a Republican politician who represents the 172nd Legislative District (Northeast Philadelphia) in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. From April 2003 to January 2007, he served as Speaker of the Pennsylvania House. , R-Philadelphia. Perzel said the House will begin considering elements of the package when members return to Harrisburg for voting sessions next week. "This is our top priority. We should not, and must not, allow our children and their teachers to be exposed to violence, guns and crime in the very place they should expect to feel safe--their school," Perzel said. "We must act, and act soon, to stop school violence." Elements of the package include legislation: -- Imposing a one year sentence for juveniles convicted of bringing a gun to school -- Sending cases involving guns and juveniles over 15 who have a previous conviction or adjudication The legal process of resolving a dispute. The formal giving or pronouncing of a judgment or decree in a court proceeding; also the judgment or decision given. The entry of a decree by a court in respect to the parties in a case. for a violent offense directly to adult court. -- Imposing a one year mandatory sentence on adults who illegally carry a handgun onto school property. -- Holding parents civilly liable for the acts that their children with a violent history commit with the parents' guns. -- Making it a first degree felony to assault a teacher, school board member or other school employees who are acting in their official capacity. -- Requiring school administrators to notify local law enforcement agencies within 48 hours when an act of violence occurs on school property. -- Requiring that dependency petitions be filed for three-time repeat truants. -- Withholding state subsidy payments for any school entity that has not entered into a cooperative memorandum of understanding A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a legal document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action and may not imply a legal commitment. with local law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). . -- Requiring a school board to institute a civil action against a parent or legal guardian of a minor who willfully willfully adv. referring to doing something intentionally, purposefully and stubbornly. Examples: "He drove the car willfully into the crowd on the sidewalk." "She willfully left the dangerous substances on the property." (See: willful) damages school property. -- Requiring law enforcement agencies to notify school administrators within 24 hours when a student is arrested for a non-motor vehicle offense. -- Giving school employees and administrators authority equal to parents and guardians when students are involved in school activities. -- Suspending a juvenile's drivers' license for 90 days after a conviction for defacing school property. A second offense would result in a six-month suspension. -- Granting Good Samaritan Good Samaritan man who helped half-dead victim of thieves after a priest and a Levite had “passed by.” [N.T.: Luke 10:33] See : Helpfulness Good Samaritan immunity to teachers and other school employees who in good faith render emergency care to injured students. -- Requiring school districts to institute civil actions against the parent or legal guardian of a minor convicted of institutional vandalism. In addition to these new bills, Perzel said he expects the House to consider legislation already introduced that would: -- Create a mandatory school violence reporting mechanism which enables schools and law enforcement agencies to better identify children most at risk to commit violent acts. -- Require school districts to develop formal violence prevention plans. -- Award grants to programs sponsored by public or nonprofit organizations designed to provide constructive after-school activities. -- Allow for a 72-hour court-ordered involuntary commitment For involuntary treatment in non-hospital settings, see . Involuntary commitment is the practice of using legal means or forms as part of a mental health law to commit a person to a mental hospital, insane asylum or psychiatric ward against their will or over their protests. for observation and psychological evaluation for any minor who threatens to carry out an act of violence, or who has carried out such threat, on school property. To reinforce the need for legislators, school officials and law enforcement agencies to work together, four of the news conferences - Dormont, East Springfield, Allentown and Norristown--were held in school facilities. Legislators were joined by school and law enforcement officials and, at East Springfield, a student group. Perzel said the Department of Education's June Safe Schools Report showed an alarming number of incidents in Pennsylvania's 501 school districts. In the 1996-1997 school year, Pennsylvania schools reported 34,569 incidents of violence and weapons possession, the equivalent of 19 incidents per 1,000 public school students. Weapons, such as guns and knives, were involved in 4,533 incidents. Schools contacted law enforcement agencies 8,661 times, resulting in 2,397 arrests. Today's news conferences come in the wake of another House Republican initiative, a proposed $80 million, two-year effort to provide Pennsylvania schools with funds to purchase security devices and train teachers, staff and police to better prevent and deal with school violence. Rep. Julie Harhart, R-Northampton and Lehigh, outlined her "Safe and Secure Schools Act" at a school in her district last week. Harhart's proposal would set aside $40 million in the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 state budgets to help school districts. The Republican initiative was a result of a series of hearings held across Pennsylvania during July and August by the Republican Caucus Policy Committee, chaired by Rep. Roy Cornell of Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to:
Legislators who were expected to participate in the news conferences were: Keystone Oaks High School Keystone Oaks High School, built in 1969, is a public high school in the South Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the only high school in the Keystone Oaks School District. It is usually referred to as "KO. , Dormont, Allegheny County - Rep. Jess Stairs, chairman of the House Education Committee and Reps. Jane C. Orie, John Pippy, Tom Stevenson, John Maher and Jeffrey Habay. Allentown School District The Allentown School District is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the fourth largest school district in Pennsylvania, with 17,521 students (based on 2004-2005 enrollment data). Administration Building, Allentown - Rep. Don Snyder, House Majority Whip and Reps. Pat Browne, Craig Dally, Charlie Dent Charles "Charlie" Dent (born May 24, 1960 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is a Republican Member of Congress, representing Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district (map), including the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. , Leonard Gruppo, Julie Harhart, Dennis Leh and Paul Semmel. East Springfield Elementary School
Eisenhower Middle School Eisenhower Middle School may refer to:
District Office of Rep. Frank Serafini, Moscow, Lackawanna County - Reps. Sandra Major and Frank Serafini. |
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