Thank you President Hardesty, WVU, the other colleges hosting sites today, the
staff, technicians, site hosts and moderators for assisting in making this morning such a productive one. Most importantly, I offer my thanks to all of the delegates who have, by their participation today,
contributed to making a difference in the lives and education of all West Virginia students. This is certainly a day that I will not forget, and I am grateful to each of you for taking an active role in this
critically important issue of making our schools and our communities safer places for all students and teachers. I can think of no more important mission than to ensure that our schools are safe for teaching and
learning.Earlier today, we saw some television coverage of school shootings. Usually the question that is asked after one of these shootings is, "Who is to blame?" This Youth Summit
has taken an important step in changing the question from "Who is to blame?" to "How can we prevent it from ever happening again?" The time for finger-pointing and passing the buck is
over. Rather, it is time to band together to ensure that such tragedies are prevented in West Virginia, and across the country.
Now, I want to take a moment and provide you with some of the results of
the survey that you filled out when you arrived this morning. All of the results will be tabulated and posted on my web site in the coming days, but here are a couple of the answers for you.
As for
question number one -- what do you feel are the main causes of youth violence in America today. The top response was peer and academic pressures. The next, by far, was parent and home atmosphere. Drug
use was the third cause.
And question number three -- what do you feel are the best solutions to addressing the issue of teen violence. The top response was places for youth to get together.
Next, conflict resolution programs and peer mediation efforts in schools was noted as a strong prevention initiative. Next, students in West Virginia feel that there should be a greater restriction on access to
weapons in the home.
I think that these results bear out the thoughts and ideas that we have shared today.
In the discussions that I listened to here in Morgantown, and in the reports that you
have made from the other sites across the state, there are common themes. Too many of you feel that the role of the family has eroded. There is a strong undercurrent of isolation, of feeling as if there are
fewer and fewer role models to follow. I know that family life today can be quite different from the one that I experienced growing up in the coalfields of Southern West Virginia. The pace is
different. Often, both parents are working, sometimes during opposite hours. The only time some family members see each other is when they pass at the front door. All of us -- young people and old --
need to recommit ourselves to instilling the importance, and the values, of family.
It seems as though the media -- television, the Internet, computer and video games -- are replacing the role of
family. Instead of coming home after school and talking with parents or other siblings, the first step seems to be clicking on the computer or zoning out in front of the television screen. Good role models
are being replaced with bad ones. The same technology that allows us to have this summit today can also, unfortunately, isolates us from each other. By stepping away from family and community, we are letting
the media take over. In many families, television and the Internet are raising our children.
The same isolation, too often, reaches into our schools and our classrooms. Many of you feel that
schools are too big, and that it is too easy for a student to get lost in the shuffle. Fixing that problem is no easy task. We cannot wave a magic wand and create smaller classes. But what we all can
do -- parents, students, and teachers -- is to make a concerted effort to get to know each other. One delegate here commented that it only takes a small effort to go up to another student and say hello, to reach
out and make contact. Whether in a small school or a large one, breaking down the feeling of isolation and replacing it with a sense of belonging is crucial.
Again, I want to thank all of you for your
participation today. We have opened up the channels of communication between students across West Virginia, and those channels need to remain open.
So what will come of today's meeting? We all
have a role to play in this debate. What am I going to do? First, I plan to take what you have said today and provide a summary to all 55 county school superintendents in West Virginia. It is
important that your local school officials take part in this ongoing discussion. I also intend to publish a full report of your discussions and ideas on my Internet site so that students, teachers, and community
leaders from across the nation will be able to benefit from your insight.
All too often, I hear from young people that they feel isolated from the political process, that they feel ignored or unimportant to
their elected leaders. This summit is an important step to reverse that frame of mind. Your voice is important; you are being heard. That is why I hope to bring your observations and suggestions to the
attention of the Congress. Later this month, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Some of your ideas and concerns may even be addressed during the consideration of
that legislation.
It is, as well, vitally important that each of you takes a role in furthering today's conversation. While the Youth Summit will officially conclude in just a few short minutes, each of you
has a responsibility to your school and your community to share the knowledge and insight that you have gained as a result of today. Do not leave today's conversation behind as you head home. Take today's
discussion to your school and to your parents. Open the lines of communication with others and invite them to assist you in this effort. Gather their support. Through this summit, you let your voices
be heard. Do not grow silent. Stand up, and speak out. Making our schools and communities safe is a team effort, and you are important players on that team.
We always hope and pray that
the same tragic scenes of students and teachers pouring out of classrooms in fear that we have witnessed in so many places will not strike a school in West Virginia. But the honest truth is that it can.
School violence can happen anywhere, at any time. The challenge for all of us -- students, teachers, parents, lawmakers, community leaders, clergy, all of us -- is to work together to prevent the violence from
reaching our schools. It is not an easy challenge, but it is a one that we all must strive to meet.
Again, delegates, I appreciate your efforts today. I think that this has been a truly unique
discussion, and I thank you.
