When it comes to education, we are confused by the president’s priorities.

In light of… When it comes to education, we are confused by the president’s priorities.

In light of the flurry of tragic school shootings in recent weeks, President Bush attended a conference on school violence in Chevy Chase, Md., this Tuesday.

While recommending that schools begin to enforce a “mosaic” of programs that may aid in decreasing school violence, Bush announced that there would be no new federal funding or policy initiatives directed toward curbing violence in schools, according to The Washington Post. The president insisted that the federal government should not play a primary role in responding to school violence, but instead should distribute information about strategies that would help prevent future violence.

Following the meeting were roundtable discussions on strategies such as coordination between schools and police, increased counseling for troubled students with suicidal or homicidal tendencies, more character education and increased metal detectors and security cameras.

While we applaud any type of discussion that raises the issue of school violence and its prevention, it is the president’s refusal to fund any type of preventative measures that is alarming.

Although education itself falls under the jurisdiction of state governments, the federal government has not shied away from intervening in education before. Most notably, the No Child Left Behind education plan, an un-funded federal mandate which Bush supported and helped push through Congress in 2001, has become a fact of life for every educator and student in America.

But, when it comes to school violence, federal intervention has not been a priority for Bush. In fact, according to The Christian Science Monitor, the Bush administration has actually cut funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services program, which was intended to help reduce school violence, from $160 million in the last two years of the Clinton administration to $5 million in 2005, and by 2006, the program was completely cut.

The president’s actions concerning education suggest that academics must be federally mandated, but security itself can be left to the schools.

Bush’s priorities are not in order.

Security and comfort within schools are the most crucial foundation for a valuable educational environment. If students are afraid to come to class, how can we expect them to be nurtured, educated and perform?

A blatant omission by the Bush administration concerning school violence at the meeting was the issue of gun control, a touchy subject for Republicans (especially near election time). It is crucial that we keep guns out of the hands of children. Gun control is an issue that cannot be separated from school shootings, and the president’s avoidance of the issue is alarming.

Unfortunately, violence in schools often goes unnoticed until it is too late. But perhaps if the federal government emphasized the importance of security and safety in schools as much as academics, the number of children who lose their lives to school shootings would wane in the future.