Coordinating and Leveraging Activities for School Security Act

Floor Speech

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Today I rise in support of H.R. 1593, the CLASS Act.

While the Department of Homeland Security already coordinates its policies relating to school security and safety across the Department, codifying this council into law will ensure important channels for information sharing and coordination are maintained during changes in administration.

Currently, DHS utilizes a number of tools to assist in the protection of our Nation's children. For example, the United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center has created an operational guide to provide actionable steps that schools can take to develop specific violence prevention plans for their students.

Additionally, DHS' Office of Academic Engagement, or OAE, supports the Department's mission by building, improving, and leveraging relationships with the academic community. OAE's work focuses on outreach, engagement, and resiliency by supporting institutions of higher learning and the K-12 community in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk.

OAE offers a Campus Resilience Program Resource Library, which provides the academic community with access to guidelines, strategies, and resources to address the risks and vulnerabilities on their campus. The library is organized into categories according to a specific threat or hazard as outlined in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Preparedness Goal.

While numerous DHS components and agencies provide resources and recommendations with regard to school security, it is imperative that the work be done in unison and there is coordination across all relevant agencies within DHS.

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