WASHINGTON, D.C.--Getting kids in schools out of unsafe environments is the idea behind the Child Safety Account Program introduced by Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN).
The program has to be tried out in Washington, D.C. first because the federal government only has jurisdiction over the Washington D.C. school system.
“If this model works in D.C., we hope that other states like Indiana may look at this and say ‘This is a good solution that we should pass through our state legislature,’ Banks said.
If a student is in a harmful environment in school (bullying, harassment, abuse, etc), they would be able to submit a claim to school administrators for a Child Safety Account.
If the claim has merit, money could be given to the student to address some of the following needs:
- Tuition
- Textbooks
- Tutoring
- Transportation to and from a qualified school
- Therapy to cope with a safety incident
- Other required education materials
Banks said some of the safety issues that apply for an account include bullying, sexual harassment, gang activity, shootings, drug use, and acts of violence.
He says he’s heard from many families in his district and across Indiana about their child being bullied.
“Four out of five public schools report violent, criminal incidents in the school. There are 150,000 violent acts committed in public schools every year. 21{b738c8d81c72d45da79d596f76991eeb044315dc3b27bc6668899a5a04085174} of students between the age of 12 and 21 report they’ve experienced bullying in schools,” Banks said.
Banks says those statistics are not uncommon in the state of Indiana.
“But what can we do about it? If the school can confirm that a violent act was committed against a student, then that would trigger my legislative proposal which would create a child savings account. They could use that funding to find a better choice for their child,” Banks said.
He says every child should have access to a safe school whether it’s private school, public school, or home school.
‘President Trump Is Taking on China In a Way No Other President in My Lifetime Has’
The Trump Administration has increased tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods. China has vowed to retaliate.
“All of these tariff negotiations are part of a larger picture of holding China accountable for intellectual property theft and incidents of Chinese espionage of our national security secrets. China poses a substantial threat and President Trump is the first leader in our country to stand up to China and do something about it,” Banks said.
While a trade deal between China and the U.S. is far from a reality, Banks says he’s encouraged that Trump is willing to go to great lengths to hold China accountable. That also means farmers in Indiana and across the country will face higher taxes unless a trade deal with lower tariffs is done.
“It will have an impact on agriculture. It will have an impact on manufacturers in different industries in the state. What I hear from my constituents by and large is they understand that short-term pain means a long-term gain for the U.S., our economy, and for the national security of the U.S.,” Banks said.
Banks urges people not to forget that these tariffs are negatively affecting China too.
“China has so much more to lose. Their economy has already suffered because of the tariffs. Ratcheting up to the pressure even further is going to cause a lot of damage to China’s economy, which is going to push them back to the table to get this done in the near future,” Banks said.
(PHOTO: Bill Clark/Getty Images)
Audio titled JIM BANKS FULL INTERVIEW 5 – 10 – 19 by 93WIBC
