Letter to the Hon. Virginia Foxx, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce - Rep. Susan Davis Leads Call for Action on School Safety After Florida School Shooting

Letter

Dear Chairwoman Foxx:

We write to request hearings before the House Education and the Workforce Committee regarding school shootings. As you know, per House Rule X, our Committee has jurisdiction over "education … generally." More specifically, the Committee Rule 2 (a) clarifies our oversight over "school safety" and other issues.

Wednesday's preventable tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, resulted in the deaths of at least seventeen students and faculty. Sadly, since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School five years ago, more than 430 people have been shot in over 230 school shootings. Despite the sobering reality, our Committee has not had a hearing to address this public health epidemic since February of 2013.

Yesterday, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos remarked during a radio interview that "Congress needs to be holding hearings on these issues." Secretary Devos called for us to examine this issue and "impact the future." She stated pointedly that "we have got to have an honest conversation, and Congress has to lead on this. It's their job."

Madame Chair, we are wholly in agreement with Secretary DeVos in this respect. We stand ready to lead and do our job with regard to this difficult subject. To that end, we respectfully ask that you schedule hearings to examine the issue of school shootings. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,


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