In today’s world, our children are confronted with numerous challenges at school that we as parents never experienced growing up. That is why I have consistently fought to fully fund programs designed to keep our kids safe while they are at school. Programs like COPS in Schools are vitally important to our school districts, and since 2001, this program has provided more than $3.6 million to schools in Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District. In fact, just last month I helped secure funding so that students in Monticello and Fouke could benefit from the resources this program provides.

   I also helped secure funding to put public alert radios in each Arkansas school. These radios are a critical communications tool to keep our children out of harm’s way in times of emergency or when a disaster or tragedy may strike. The radios enable the effective delivery of information for a wide range of crises, whether it’s an approaching tornado or a telephone outage disrupting 9-1-1 services.

   I believe that education is one of the most important investments we can make in our future, and a vital component of a top notch education is safety. As parents, we want the peace of mind that when the moment our kids leave our homes, they will be safe and protected until they are return.

   At a time when government spending is at an all-time high, the last thing that should be at the chopping block is our kid’s safety at school. I have consistently fought to fund the COPS program, and will continue to do so because of the important tools it provides to keep our kids safe. Despite this Administration’s efforts to cut important government programs like COPS in Schools, be assured that I will continue to fight to ensure that our children have the safe learning environment they deserve and need to succeed.