WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) co-sponsored two bipartisan amendments today to improve coordination between community school programs and local communities and to protect school children from sex offenders. Both amendments passed unanimously and were agreed to as part of debate on the bipartisan Every Child Achieves Act.
“For the first time in more than a decade, the Senate began a debate about how to improve federal education policy this week. This bipartisan legislation will help our children by putting decisions about their education back in the hands of those who know best: their parents, teachers, school boards and governors,” said Senator Capito.
“Community school programs provide important health, nutrition and other key services for many West Virginia students living in poverty. The amendment passed today will allow those schools to better coordinate with community partners to provide resources and support for our students. I would also like to commend Senators Toomey and Manchin for their work to protect our children in schools. I was proud to support an amendment that cracks down on the horrifying practice of ‘passing the trash’ or moving child predators from one school district to another.”
Senator Capito introduced Amendment #2099 with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Oh.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). The amendment ensures that each community school program receiving Title I funds can use these funds to have a site resource coordinator for their school or local education agency. Site resource coordinators would work with the community and nonprofits to identify and source additional resources to benefit students.
Amendment #2094, introduced by Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), requires states to have laws or policies in place to prohibit school districts from helping a known or suspected child predator move to a different school district.