Jahana Hayes

Mrs. HAYES

Mrs. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 57 State teachers of the year from around the country who have convened in Washington. These educators illuminate what is working in our education system. Their unique and important achievements fill me with pride and inspiration about what teachers can do for our communities when we put students first. I welcome these outstanding teachers to Washington this week and to Capitol Hill this Thursday as part of a celebration of excellence. I would like to congratulate the 2019 National Teacher of the Year, Rodney Robinson, who is a committed advocate for all his students and has made it his mission to bring a voice to the voiceless and to those who feel unseen or undervalued by their communities. Mr. Robinson has been teaching social studies for 19 years to students at Virgie Binford Education Center inside the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center, teaching some of our Nation's most vulnerable students. Every student deserves a high-quality, equitable education. Mr. Robinson and all these educators work every day to fulfill that promise to their students. Equity and empowerment are at the core of Mr. Robinson's work and should also be at the core of our work here at the Federal Government. I also want to thank the Council of Chief State School Officers, or CCSSO, which, since 1952, has focused on excellence in public education. They are the oldest and most prestigious national honors program for teachers, and their work to celebrate and elevate the voices of teachers should be commended. It is, likewise, our job as Members of Congress to continue to elevate the profession of teachers, elevate the voices of students, and work together to make sure their dreams are recognized.

Mrs. HAYES

Mrs. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my opposition to the idea of using Federal funds to arm teachers. This issue has haunted me from the moment it was first discussed after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School to more recently when it was revisited after the Parkland shooting. Seventy-three percent of teachers do not want this. More than 60 percent of parents do not want this. And the majority of students do not want this. Since 1999, in 225 incidents of school campus gun violence, armed personnel failed to disarm a shooter 223 times. I came to Congress from the classroom. As a teacher, I would never want the responsibility of securing a firearm in a school. I understand how this would drastically change the school culture and make it feel more like a prison. As the wife of a police officer, I understand the training that is involved with the responsibility of owning a firearm, and I know that school districts cannot manage that. I could never imagine explaining to a parent that it was my firearm that accidentally injured their child. I recognize that many local school communities are still trying to decide where they fall on this conversation, yet I cannot overstress the point that Federal funds should not be diverted from student learning outcomes to arm teachers. This is why, today, I have introduced a resolution to prohibit the use of Federal funds to arm teachers.

Mrs. HAYES

Mrs. HAYES. Madam Speaker, I was unable to be present for votes on March 11th due to unavoidable travel delays. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 119; and YEA on Roll Call No. 120.

Mrs. HAYES

Mrs. HAYES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to voice my support for two bills that the House will consider this week: H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112. These bills are the first comprehensive gun violence prevention bills to be considered in the House since the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was signed into law in 1994. Far too often innocent lives are claimed due to gun violence. Nearly 40,000 people die of gun-related injuries per year. While mass shootings often dominate the headlines, we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the gun violence happening on a daily basis in cities all over the country and even my own hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut. I have lived in a neighborhood where the sound of gunshots in the distance was as normal as hearing church bells, and, as a teacher and a mother, I have seen firsthand how the fear of violence affects our children. For far too long, Congress has failed our communities by remaining silent on this issue. America is ready for commonsense background check legislation. I owe it to my community, I owe it to my State, and I owe it to the people of Newtown, Connecticut. That is why I look forward to casting my vote in support of H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112.

Mrs. HAYES

Mrs. HAYES. Madam Speaker, I was unable to be present for votes on February 11th due to unavoidable travel delays. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 76, and YEA on Roll Call No. 77.