WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Tony Gonzales (TX-23) and Jared Moskowitz (FL-23) relaunched the Congressional Bipartisan School Safety and Security Caucus, which they founded together in 2023. Members of the caucus, led by Co-Chairs Gonzales and Moskowitz, work with educators, law enforcement personnel, school safety experts, and parents to foster safer classrooms for children across the United States.
“Almost three years ago, on May 24, 2022, 19 children and two teachers were senselessly murdered at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, leaving the small town of just over 15,000 people forever changed. There are no sentiments that will ever heal the heartbreak of losing 21 souls far before their time, especially at a place where they were supposed to be safe,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales. “The truth is, our schools have become soft targets for twisted, evil individuals. I’m a dad of six, I share the same worry that parents and grandparents across America do when it comes to the safety of our kids in the classroom. That’s why I am fully committed to bringing lawmakers, law enforcement, teachers, and parents to the table to safeguard our schools. Congressman Moskowitz and I are once again looking forward to joining forces in Congress to advance policies that secure our schools and protect our kids.”
“The 2018 shooting at my alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, completely shattered my hometown of Parkland. I’ll never forget hearing parents say as they buried their kids that the only thing they did wrong that day was send them to school. That’s an indictment of our government’s failure to protect our students and teachers. We need to take an all-of-the-above approach to school safety to mitigate school-based violence, which is why I’m proud to relaunch the Bipartisan School Safety and Security Caucus with my colleague and co-founder Tony Gonzales. Together, we can continue our urgent work to find and advance commonsense solutions that will protect our schools, improve threat assessments, and support youth mental health,” said Congressman Jared Moskowitz.
“My son Alex was murdered in the Parkland school shooting. Since that day, I’ve fought to ensure no other family has to endure the pain we live with every single day. The reintroduction of the bipartisan Congressional School Safety and Security Caucus by Representative Tony Gonzales is a critical step toward advancing commonsense legislation to protect our schools. We must make school safety a national priority—because you can’t teach dead kids. If students and teachers don’t make it home safely, nothing else matters. I’m grateful to Representative Gonzales for his leadership and for being a true champion for school safety," said Max Schachter, Founder of Safe Schools for Alex and the School Safety Policy Center
U.S. Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-26), Susie Lee (NV-03), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Eugene Vindman (VA-07), and John Rutherford (FL-04) are members of the Bipartisan School Safety and Security Caucus.
Background:
Congressman Gonzales serves as a Congressional Co-Chair of Camila and Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights Grants Initiative Advisory Board. The Greenlights Grant Initiative helps connect school districts with grant-writing services to increase the likelihood of being awarded grant funding for school safety purposes. Through Congressman Gonzales’ seat on the House Appropriations Committee, he has secured over $20 million in funding to improve school security, mental health services, and emergency response capabilities in Uvalde and across South and West Texas.
School Safety Legislation Supported by Congressman Gonzales:
Introduced the National Strategy for School Security Act - requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop and submit to Congress a national school security strategy
Passed through the House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence
UNITED ACT - recommits mental health resources to underserved communities across the nation
EAGLES Act - establishes a national program focused on targeted school violence prevention
ALYSSA Act - requires silent panic alarms in all schools to immediately alert law enforcement of an active shooter incident
Strengthening Our Schools Act - increases investments in School Resource Officers to help protect students and faculty from potential active shooter situations
ATTAIN on Mental Health Act - creates an interactive, online dashboard to expand access to funding for mental health and substance use disorder grants
###