Virginia’s Safe Schools Week (2009)

Virginia’s Safe Schools Week

WHEREAS, schools make substantial contributions to the future of the Commonwealth of Virginia and to the development of our state’s young people as knowledgeable, productive and responsible citizens; and

WHEREAS, excellence in education is dependent on safe, secure and peaceful school settings; and

WHEREAS,  the safety and well-being of many students, teachers and school staff are unnecessarily jeopardized by crime and violence in our schools; and

WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of all citizens to enhance the learning experiences of young people by helping to ensure fair and effective discipline, promoting good citizenship and making schools safe and secure; and

WHEREAS, all leaders, especially those in education, law enforcement, government and business, need to work together to focus public attention on school safety as well as to identify, develop and promote innovative answers to these critical issues; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s Safe Schools Week offers citizens an opportunity to discuss innovative solutions to help confront the issue of school safety and to promote efforts to create positive and safe learning environments in all our nation’s schools;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Timothy M. Kaine, do hereby recognize October 18-24, 2009 as VIRGINIA’S SAFE SCHOOLS WEEK in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.